Never Bet Against A Redhead
by DarkenedStar
Summary: Kaoru is as stubborn as Kenshin is determined. Bets are made. Victors bask in glory. Fun, fluffy humor for all. *Now completed!*
1. End Transmission

**Disclaimer:** No. I don't own it. If I did, I wouldn't be on here obsessing for the better part of a decade.

 **A/N:** I'm going to come clean now. I _hated_ drabble fics until a few months ago. I hated that they seemed to have no point, and just when something got interesting, the author would cut it off with squealing delight. It was maddening when all I wanted was long stories with solid plots. And then I forced myself to read a few drabble fics and they grew on me before I knew what was happening.

With so much going on in my life, I know I _shouldn't_ be writing FFs but here I am anyway. I _should_ be finishing up book two… but writing is writing… right? Bleh… really, it just boils down to me needing a vent for some insane amounts of stress, and it emerged in the form of drabble-length, giddy spurts of inspiration.

This will be a collection of modern day drabbles that are related, will be presented in order, and will form the skeleton of an actual plot. To challenge myself, the PoVs will vary from drabble to drabble, and will sometimes be inspired by a song I have playing on shuffle. Rated T for Sano's mouth. :)

I think that about covers all of it. Happy reading!

* * *

 **^.-**

 **End Transmission**

 **-** **AFI-**

After they'd been strapped in, Kaoru shifted her head carefully until she faced Sanosuke. "Are you ready?" she giggled.

"I'm beginning to think you weren't entirely honest with me," he groused.

Kaoru grinned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," he grumbled irately, "that you never thought to mention this thing is going to go upside down."

Kaoru couldn't repress her snort. "What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, I don't know," he retorted curtly. "Maybe the fact that three different seatbelts are required before they shoot us out of here. If this were a perfectly _normal_ roller coaster, it wouldn't need all this."

Kaoru grinned at him as the coaster car jerked into motion. "It's too late to turn back now," she cackled.

"DAMNIT, KAORU!" he shouted as the cart wove around a short bit of track before reaching the famed ascent. It clicked forward, propelling each thrill seeker higher and higher by the moment.

Sano fumbled violently with his harnesses, but didn't make much progress before the coaster car reached the top of the peak and hung them over the edge of the precipice. There was a deliberate delay as the car hung precariously, giving everyone a chance to witness the chaotic web of tracks they would be sent plummeting into.

"I HATE YO-" Sano yelled just before the coaster released the brakes and flung itself downward into a series of twists and turns and vicious loops that had Kaoru giggling insanely and Sano slamming a hand over his mouth to hold back a stream of illness.

"See? It wasn't so bad!" Kaoru laughed once they slowed.

"Yeah- not yet. Just wait until I get my hands on you," he hissed, and then immediately threw his hand over his eyes to abate his dizziness.

As the cart was pulled to its final stop, Kaoru unfastened her seatbelt and darted away before Sano knew what was happening. It was too late by the time he reached her and Megumi's grinning faces. To his horror, they held a photograph of him- the great Zanza- actually _green_ in the face, beside a Kaoru who was so filled with mirth that she had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Quite impressive," Megumi told him with a catty smirk.

Red-faced, Sano locked in on Kaoru, and she had half a second to leap out of the way. "COME BACK HERE!" he screamed, trailing after her for a short distance before his stomach threatened to rebel. Sinking to the ground, he watched helplessly as she disappeared into the crowd. A stream of giggles informed him that she had bigger plans… _damn her._


	2. Cookie Batter

**^.-**

 **Cookie Batter**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

"I'm going to _ruin_ you," I hissed, wiping my cheek with my forearm. White powder fluttered down with the motion, revealing Misao's devious smirk. "I'll make sure you have nightmares for weeks." The smile faltered as my other arm flew toward her. Unfurling my fingers at the last second, a cloud fluttered into existence and momentum sent it fluttering directly into Misao's face.

An undignified squeal tore from her flour-covered lips and she dragged her fingers over her eyes, revealing a deadly glare. "Oh," she breathed. "It's on."

Squeaking, I spun around and dove at the far counter, my eyes locked on the bag of powdered sugar. I stuffed my hand in desperately and tore out my closed fist. The feeling of sprinkles being hurtled at the back of my head was expected, but I couldn't restrain the deadly growl that tore from the back of my throat.

Feeling emboldened and refusing to be defeated, I silently damned all sense, threw the fistful of powdered sugar at her, and grabbed the bag for quick ammunition.

Misao was similarly clutching two tubes of frosting… and the devious glint in her eyes promised to douse me in confectionary goop.

" _What_ have you two done?" a new voice interrupted, effectively breaking me and Misao out of our duel. Standing on the other side of the kitchen counter that doubled as a bar ledge, was an exasperated Megumi. Her arms were crossed, her eyes were narrowed, and her shoulders rose and fell with a heavy breath as if she were seriously considering walking out of our lives for good. "I'm only fifteen minutes late and you managed to turn the kitchen into Chernobyl!"

"She started it!" I defended, thrusting a powdery finger at Misao.

The motion was immediately reciprocated by a stream of purple icing flying onto my outstretched arm. My head spun to face the deviant as I felt the cool substance coat my entire forearm, and without the slightest bit of hesitation, I whipped the bag at her, successfully covering her head to toe and effectively winning the war.

"Oh, Sano is going to pay dearly for this," Megumi groaned. Closing her eyes and heaving out a sigh, she slipped off her socks and stepped into Chernobyl, not stopping until she had procured a wine glass full to the brim with merlot.

"Hey- you guys were the ones who demanded I never use an oven without supervision," I reminded her. "If I had been allowed to make the cookies _before_ Misao got here, we would have been painting our nails and watching a cheesy movie as planned."

Misao stuck her tongue out at me in retaliation and then turned to grab a dish rag to sweep an impressive mountain of flour off the countertop. "Why's the rooster going to pay for this, anyway?"

"Because it was his fault I'm late. He needed to borrow my car to pick up a friend from the airport."

"Who?"

"His childhood best friend. The one he's told countless stories about."

"Oh- what's his name again?" I asked, but remembered just as the question left my lips. "Kenshin, right?"

"That's the one," Megumi affirmed. "From what the rooster said, it sounds like he's planning on staying here for a while. He signed a lease for an apartment over by the park." The park was about a fifteen minute walk from all of our apartments, and was a common place for all of us to meet up.

"Ooohhhh…" Misao cooed, her eyes darting to me. "He's staying, huh?"

"Don't you _even_ start that with me," I glowered. "We all know the no-friend-dating rule."

"Yeah, but he's not your friend yet so that excuse is invalid," Misao grinned.

"Oh, please," Megumi scoffed, somehow managing to sound elegant. "She wouldn't know what to do with a man even if he was interested."

"Yes, I would!"

"Anyway," Megumi continued, clearly not wanting to repeat a conversation that had already been repeated far too many times. "We're taking him out for dinner tomorrow night to celebrate his return and I'm inviting you two and Aoshi."

"We'll be there!" Misao announced.

"Sure," I grinned. "Can't wait."

"Fantastic. Now you two can decontaminate this nuclear explosion while I enjoy my lovely wine and console myself for having two children as my best friends."

As she made her way out of the kitchen, Misao reached for something on the counter behind herself. The motion was somehow off, as if she were angled the wrong way, but by the time I realized what the problem was, there was no stopping her.

I watched helplessly as she spun around and whirled a fistful of sugar at Megumi, who pitched forward slightly and emitted a horrified shriek. Though I sympathized with her indignation, having been similarly assaulted, I found myself beyond eager to see her expression.

But just as she began to turn around, I heard a smack that I somehow immediately knew was Misao smashing both tubes of icing that were still in her hands together. I never got to see Megumi's expression because blue and purple icing flew through the air with impressive accuracy, commendably covering my face, neck, and shoulders in goopy sugar.

I anticipated that Megumi would end up shouting or screeching, so when a low laughter bubbled from her lips, self-preservation had me backing away slowly. Bringing the glass to her lips, she gulped down a third of its contents, placed the glass on the counter, scooped up the innocent measuring cup full of milk, and lobbed it at Misao.

The chaos that ensued would forever be remembered as the Great Cookie Dough War, and the victor was never agreed upon.

... But really, I was the one who destroyed them.


	3. Dinner

**^.-**

 **Dinner**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

My first glimpse of Sano's mysterious friend was a striking sea of scarlet hair that danced from the crown of his head, far past his shoulders and out of sight. His posture was straight, yet his shoulders were relaxed, and though he was facing slightly away from us, I could see the soft curve of his right cheek being pushed upward by a wide smile. As Misao and I approached, he laughed at something Sano said, and its sound sang through my veins.

"We've arrived, darlings," Misao uttered dramatically once we got close enough, causing everyone to look over to us.

Sano rolled his eyes as he clapped a hand over his friend's shoulder, turning him slightly to face us. "Kenshin, my man- this is the insane weasel girl I've been telling you about-"

"Hi! I'm Misao!" she interrupted animatedly before darting over to her beloved's side and latching onto his arm.

Sano didn't skip a beat. "And this," he said, gesturing over to me, "is the Missy." He gave his friend a significant look, as if he had better hold his tongue or otherwise watch his privates.

His friend, however, had already locked his gaze with mine. Instead of meeting the typical chocolate or russet iris that was customary of nearly any other person I'd ever met, I was shocked to find a dark pupil surrounded by the color of ripe eggplant. That alone was enough to enrapture me, but then he bowed slightly, causing a mane of fire and embers to cascade around his shoulders. His eyes never left mine, and as he righted himself, he smiled sincerely. "I'm Kenshin," he greeted. His voice was low and warm, and its timbre washed over me, leaving behind a feeling akin to silk grazing over my arms and neck. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Swallowing, I bowed to him and grinned in return. "I'm Kaoru. It's nice to finally meet you, too."

One of the hostesses, having noticed that our party was now complete, bounced over to us and led us over to our reserved room. Kenshin's spell on me was immediately broken, and I was overcome with giddiness as my eyes roved over the restaurant. The best part was that each of the tables was either sectioned off by artfully placed screens or pieces of art, or were otherwise tucked away in private rooms. The atmosphere allowed for a bit more intimacy, and that was a good thing when a hyper Misao was involved.

The room was small, but seated us all comfortably. Dark walls, low lighting, and elegant paintings all contributed to the opulent ambience, yet the menu prices somehow managed to stay within reason. It was my favorite restaurant for special occasions, and I'd been mentally squealing ever since Megumi told me she had made the reservations.

The two couples sat beside each other easily, and without much hesitation, I smiled at Sano's childhood friend and plopped down next to him, turning slightly just to hook my purse's strap around the back of my chair.

"Sorry we're late," I explained, mostly to Megumi, who had been the first to lock eyes with me when I looked back up. Silently, I gestured toward Misao dramatically and earned myself two laughs and a grin.

"What?" Misao asked, pulling herself away from Aoshi.

"Nothing, darling," I told her. She merely shrugged, reached across to the center of the table, and locked onto a sugar packet with speed that I could never hope to match.

"Great!" she exclaimed as she tore open the packet, threw the sugar crystals down her throat, and eyed the jug that had been placed neatly off to the side on a low ledge. "Megs, you're a genius for preordering the sake. Whaddaya say we get on with some drinking games, eh?"

"THE TRUE GENIOUS!" Sano shouted, throwing his arms upward in glee. "Gettin' right down to business!"

Casting a sideward gaze at the newcomer, I muttered a warning under my breath. "She proclaims drinking games all the time, mostly to see how long it takes for Sano to become belligerent."

"I look forward to it," Kenshin said, almost like a challenge and a threat at the same time. His eyes gleamed and a smile crested his lips, causing me to grin despite myself.

"Alright!" Misao called out. "For starters, anyone to say the name of anyone else seated at this table has to drink!"

I snorted in response. "Rooster head, Fox, Weasel, and Glacier," I helpfully whispered to the newbie, gesturing to each of them. "Good luck, Red."

His laugh was warm and as it curled deep within my chest, I knew that we would become good friends.


	4. Priorities—Part I

**^.-**

 **Priorities- Part I**

Hearing rings echoing through his apartment, Kenshin searched around briefly until his eyes landed on the phone resting innocently on the kitchen countertop. Hurrying over, he picked it up, accepted the call, and spoke into the receiver. "Hello?"

" _I realized something just now_ ," Kaoru proclaimed, boldly assuming Sano had already shared everyone's contact information with him.

"Oh?" Kenshin replied, a hint of humor touching his tone at her abruptness. He'd already had her number programed in his phone, but he'd recognize her giddy voice anywhere. "And what might that be?"

" _You've been here three days and you haven't yet been introduced to the best frozen yogurt place in the area._ "

Unable to repress the grin that crept across his cheeks, Kenshin laughed. "It's quite the travesty. I've actually been sitting here every night, wondering when someone would finally share that secret with me."

" _Well tonight's your lucky night_ ," he heard her say, " _because we're going right now. I'll be outside your building in the next few minutes_."

"What gives you the impression that I'm in the mood for frozen yogurt?" Kenshin retorted playfully.

" _First off, there is_ _ **never**_ _a time when any sane person is not in the mood for frozen yogurt. Are you sane, Kenshin_?"

"I suppose I am."

" _I thought so. Second, you've probably been unpacking and cleaning all day, so a break is very likely well deserved_."

"Two for two," he laughed.

" _And third, I'm already on my way, your building is en route, and I wasn't under the impression when we met that you'd leave a girl to hunt for yogurt alone at night_."

Kenshin already had his keys in hand and was walking out the door. He grinned to himself, both agreeing with her logic and wondering why he couldn't have met her years ago. It was only the second time he'd spoken with her, but he already knew that he'd gravitate toward her more than anyone else. "Do they have pecan?"

She laughed earnestly, and the sound swelled his chest with warmth. " _What kind of girl do you take me for? Of course they have pecan. They're the best, remember?_ "

"Oh, I haven't forgotten," Kenshin admitted, already twisting his key in the lock. "I'll meet you downstairs." He hung up and shoved the phone into his back pocket, taking to the stairs with a smirk.


	5. Priorities—Part II

**A/N:** All of you who reviewed are amazing! Thank you so much for all of your support! It really does mean a lot, and makes me all giddy, which makes me write more. :)

Speaking of which... I already have another seventeen chapters written out. This is bad (depending on how you look at it) because those come a bit later and I need to write the chapters that are supposed to come between now and then. But it's good because I've written a LOT of the chapters for which this fic is named. And those are WAY more fun than these could ever be. ^.^ Just you wait.

* * *

 **^.-**

 **Priorities- Part II**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

We met on the sidewalk and I immediately busted out laughing when I caught sight of his goofy shirt. "Freakazoid?"

His lopsided smile accompanied his bold claim. "Can't go wrong with one of the best classics."

"I suppose you may have a point."

We talked along the way. I found out that he had been made the most of his university experience by studying abroad. Two years in England and two years in Italy. And he was properly fluent in three languages.

I told him I was in the second year of my doctorate program. And that I was fluent in the language of insanity, as most graduate students are.

He'd spent three years after undergrad travelling around in underdeveloped countries. He'd volunteered the entire time. Helped orphans. Taught English. Tended to crops. Treated injuries. Built huts.

I told him I'd volunteered in three labs over the course of my studies. I particularly found delight in analyzing statistics, and if someone had told me years ago that I would actually look forward to norming data, I would have decked them in the face.

After we'd gotten our treats, we lazily walked back to the park that was near Kenshin's place and plopped onto an empty bench.

"This really is fantastic yogurt, Miss Kaoru, that it is."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He'd been saying it all night, despite my attempts to get him to stop. "Call me _Miss_ one more time, Kenshin…" I left the threat hanging because my voice was sinister enough to convey the message.

His smile spread into the cheekiest smirk I'd seen in my life. "Or what?" he questioned. " _Miss_ Kaoru-"

My finger was in my yogurt and streaming down his nose before he could duck away. "The next time, I'll throw the whole bowl at you." I told him, happily drinking in his shock.

He wiped his nose and eyed the melted contents held between my fingers. There were enough sprinkles to hide in his hair for weeks and the gelatinous concoction would have ruined his prized vintage shirt. His gaze locked back on mine and he very clearly recognized my willingness to back up my threat. "Very well," he said after a pregnant delay. "I understand… Miss Kaoru."

He was out of his seat and across the sidewalk before I'd realized he'd even moved. Startled at his speed, I blinked several times as I watched his stance. Taking aim, I drew back my arm and pitched the plastic bowl at him. Little did he know, I'd taken into account the angle at which he would dart off, and I heard a satisfying crackle as the bowl collided with his elbow. Fortunately for him, most of the melted remnants sprayed away and into the grass behind him.

He laughed as he stopped again, surveying the damage. "You have good aim," he remarked.

"You'd be wise to remember that," I warned him.

"I wouldn't dare forget," he assured me, delightedly eyeing my lack of ammunition. "Miss Kaoru."

I was off the bench in a heartbeat, and he ran off into the trees as I dug into my pockets and threw everything I had at him. After several moments of very strategic planning, I heard him hiss in pain immediately after my lip gloss collided with his perfectly rounded rump.

"Ah!" he groaned, stopping long enough in his tracks to raise his hands in a sign of universal defeat. "Fine! Kaoru! I'm sorry!"

Grinning, I lowered my arm and let my keys dangle between my fingers. Good timing on his part- this one would have _hurt._ Bruised, even.

"Oh- sorry. I didn't hear you."

He shot me a glare as he delicately rubbed his backside. "Kaoru. I will call you 'Kaoru' from now on."

"Oh, good!" I exclaimed, beaming at him. "And you know what's even better?" He paused in his rear end ministrations long enough to roll his eyes. "You owe me a frozen yogurt."

"But you were already finished!" he proclaimed defiantly.

"Nope. Rule number one of frozen yogurt- _never_ waste sprinkles. You'll have to replace them."

"I'll show you sprinkles…" he muttered under his breath.


	6. Darkness

**^.-**

 **Darkness**

Kaoru was panting heavily, beads of sweat were rolling down the sides of her face, and she felt her heart pounding achingly. Sapphire eyes darted left and right, and once she deemed the way unprotected, she dove across the narrow corridor and ducked behind another wall, listening for any sounds of movement. It was difficult to hear much of anything over the blaring music, though, and even harder to see through the inky darkness. Her eyes had long since adjusted to the lack of light, but she still squinted at the shadows, trying to identify any danger.

Feeling no immediate threat, she steadied herself and fortified her resolve. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

She could do this. She would be fine. She could make it out alive.

Taking one cautious step forward, she nearly had a heart attack when Sano barreled into her and threw her back against the wall. Fortunately, his hand rose up to cover her terrified shriek, and as she calmed slightly, she glared dangerously at him. "What the _hell_ are you doing?!" she hissed.

Sano, deadly serious, held up three fingers beside his face and without breaking eye contact with her, jabbed them in a direction over her right shoulder.

Nodding meaningfully, Kaoru gripped her gun tightly. It was now or never… and they would _not_ go down. Not against him. They would inflict as much damage as possible, and so help them, their arrogant enemy would feel the sting of their attack for years to come.

She watched as Sano mouthed to her.

 _Three._

 _Two._

 _One._

Moving like a rushing river over rocks, they bolted out of their hiding spot and with perfect synchronization, Sano dove to the left while Kaoru ran off to the right.

Weaving around the sharply turning walls, Kaoru locked in on a shadow and knew she'd found her enemy. _'Gotcha, punk,'_ she thought, grinning cheekily. Lifting her gun, she took aim… and was promptly taken by surprise as a flash of color appeared before her. Kaoru had no time to understand what was happening before she heard the sound of shots being fired. Feeling her chest exploding in response, her jaw dropped and her assault was drawn to a stop.

Death. This was what death felt like… but at least her life had not been extinguished in vain. With her enemy's attention drawn to her, he'd never anticipate Sano coming from behind-

But even as she thought this, her murderer spun around and ducked into a crouch, lifting his gun and somehow firing at Sano with impossible precision. Kaoru watched in horror as Sano's chest exploded in a flash of bright red.

Kaoru would have scampered off to try to get some small measure of revenge for her comrade, but a timer blared across the speakers of the warehouse and she cursed colorfully before lowering her gun.

"Liar!" she shouted, narrowing her eyes hatefully at the red-haired man standing between her and Sano. "You said you hadn't done this since you were a kid!"

Kenshin grinned so widely that Kaoru's finger twitched over the trigger. "It's been at least ten years."

Releasing a murderous shriek, she spun on her heel and headed toward the exit as she fumbled with her breastplate's buckles. Lifting the device over her head, she nearly threw it on the appropriate peg before shoving the door open and storming out into the lobby.

Kenshin and Sano found her a few seconds later, her posture tense and her arms crossed imperiously. They followed her line of sight to the scoreboard.

Red: 84,350

Rooster: 51,230

Kao-some: 49,980

Below their names was a listing of a few other players who hadn't even come close to their scores, but Kaoru only saw the name at the very top. And she was seeing red… both literally and figuratively. "No one has _ever_ beaten the Deadly Duo in laser tag," she seethed, turning to Kenshin and jabbing a finger against his chest. " _Ever._ I call double or nothing. This one was clearly a fluke."

Storming off, she heard the smile in his voice. "I've never been owed so much frozen yogurt in my life."

"Damnit, Ken-man. She's gonna kill you," Sano warned quietly. Even though he was just as mad as his partner, his voice betrayed concern for his older friend's well-being.

To this Kenshin laughed openly. "You must not have gotten a good look at the scoreboard. I'm pretty sure I annihilated both of you."

Fuming, Kaoru whipped the door open and marched back inside, donning her gear again. "I will flatten you, Red, so help me..."


	7. Photograph

**A/N:** I just want to take a moment to thank kokoronagomu, Kitsutenekochan, and Ryumie for reviewing so frequently. These are super short chapters so they don't seem like much, but you guys still take the time to show your support and that means a lot to me. This one is for you guys! ^.^

* * *

 **^.-**

 **Photograph**

 _*Kenshin's POV*_

"Sorry," she told me, and I watched as she grimaced at what was before her. "It's kind of a mess."

I peered around her, but the only thing that really stood out were the papers that were scattered all over her coffee table. My gaze returned to hers. "That's not a mess. You're talking to someone who grew up with Sano."

"Good point," she grinned, and her shoulders sagged in relief.

I leaned down to take off my shoes, and turned to place them against the wall. When I straightened, my eyes landed on a framed photograph that had clearly been enlarged from its original size. Yet, even with it being stretched to noteworthy proportions, the quality had not been sacrificed. How I hadn't seen it immediately was beyond me, but now that it had ensnared my attention, I found myself frozen in place.

Unable to hold back a humored snort, I allowed my eyes to rove over the glorious moment in time that had been captured forever, and my appreciation for her swelled.

There, in the entryway of Kaoru's home, was a picture of a rollercoaster car in which she looked like the happiest person in the world... and Sano looked like he'd just swallowed a slug.

Her eyes were crinkled in mirth and his were wide and horrified.

Her cheeks were covered in tears and his were puffed out in urgent distress.

Her lips were curled into a laugh I would have paid to hear and his lips were pressed together as if the slug had just come back up.

The only thing that moved me from my awestruck position in front of her front door was the door being flung open and Sano stepping in with a fistful of carryout. "Oi!" he called out, clumsily trying to shut the door with his shoulder. "They didn't have mus- fuck."

I could feel my grin spreading entirely of its own accord, and it grew even wider as Sano's eyes landed on mine. He watched as my hand rose to belatedly cover my mirth, but that only made his scowl darken dangerously.

"Not a single word," he growled as he kicked off his shoes and shoved past me.

"If you hate it so much, why haven't you asked her to take it down?" His shoulders bunched tensely at hilarity in my tone.

He nearly tossed all the bags onto the counter before spinning around to face me. "She made _copies_ ," he seethed. "If I do anything to this one, she'll post them everywhere."

Kaoru chose that moment to skip over from the kitchen with the biggest smirk I'd ever seen. "Here," she urged something into my hand. "One for your wallet."

"I think I might fall in love with you," I laughed jokingly, making her eyes gleam in mirth and her giggle to dance through the room.

"It's a natural reaction," she admitted cheekily, swaying over to Sano and patting his red cheeks lightly. "And one that is well-warranted for those who coax the big Sano-bear onto such a scary ride."

Sano's glare could have ignited the skin of a lesser being, but Kaoru giggled and sashayed off again, leaving him heaving for calming breaths and me fighting to repress my own snorts.


	8. Can't Deny

**A/N:** I have a legitimate reason for my delay this time- I was busy WRITING THE LAST WORDS OF MY SECOND BOOK! I mean... there's a lot of editing on the horizon, but I'm beyond excited to finally have that off my plate. Now I just need to power through an entire other book... nbd.

But yeah... I've been giggling over this one for days. ^.^

* * *

 **^.-**

 **Can't Deny**

Misao had a grin that seemed to make the sun pale in comparison. It had been there for hours, and was only ever interrupted by peals of giggles and minor bouts of minor whimpering about how much her cheeks hurt. It really was painful, but she had less than an hour left until midnight, and she'd be damned if she didn't savor every single second.

"What do you guys say to another round of drinks?"

"Hell yeah!" Sano shouted, shamelessly allowing relief to wash over his expression.

Misao snorted and motioned for the bartender. "What'll you have, darling?" she smiled prettily at Aoshi, who didn't skip a beat.

"I'm hooked," he intoned, holding up his nearly-empty cup.

"I'M HOOKED!" Kaoru repeated, thrilled at Aoshi's cleverness. She laughed and spun around giddily as the others also repeated the words gratefully.

Glowering, Misao relayed their orders to the bartender. When she turned around, Kaoru, feeling guilty for taking the easy way out, locked eyes with her. "I'm down to get the friction on."

Immediately beaming, Misao bounced on the barstool. "Yes!" she shouted over the loud music. "Before or after the drinks?"

Kaoru floundered for a moment before confidently stating, "Beggin' for a piece of that bubble."

"Okayyyyy," Misao huffed before swinging her gaze around to the others. "So how about it? We down these drinks and then go back on the floor?"

"You can have them," Aoshi stated, but amended his statement once his girlfriend rolled desperate eyes in his direction. Taking a deep breath, he told her, "Please don't lose that butt."

"You got it, Sugarbear," she grinned, just as the bartender pushed the first of the drinks over to her. As the one sitting closest to the fresh beverages, she deftly handed them out to their new respective owners and watched everyone's expression light up. "Surprise! Doubles!"

"It is so big!" Kaoru exclaimed, feeling her hand dip with the weight of the additional alcohol.

"I know!" Misao grinned. "Even though it's my birthday, I think you guys deserve the extra fuel for being so awesome."

"A word to the sistas," Kaoru shouted before taking a large gulp. "I'll keep my women."

"I can't resist her," Sano exhaled, latching onto the cold glass and shoving it toward his lips, successfully upturning the drink into his mouth.

"Oh baby!" Megumi grinned, teetering on her heels almost alarmingly. If Sano wasn't within arm's reach, Misao would have felt a bit more nervous. As it was, Sano threw his arm out just in time to drag her against himself… and somehow, neither of them spilled a drop of their drinks, nor allowed the glasses to leave their lips.

"I'm strong," Kenshin breathed to himself before throwing back the contents of his drink.

Aoshi silently downed half of his drink, but stopped himself from continuing, knowing that this was the one night his Misao would appreciate his words more than his actions. Pulling the drink away, he caught her gaze, laid a heavy level of smolder on her, and waited until he knew her breath was stolen. "My anaconda don't want none, unless you've got buns, hon."

Squealing in unrepressed delight, Misao latched onto him and kissed him senseless. After she'd pulled away, she allowed him five carefully counted seconds to empty the contents of his glass before heaving him out onto the dance floor.

Sano watched them leave, carefully waited until they were well out of earshot, and then released heavy sigh of relief. "I'm runnin' on fumes," he admitted. "This one's _killin'_ me."

"Yeah, this one's brutal," Kaoru breathed, even though her grin never faded.

"You guys are _insane_ ," Kenshin told them. "You do this every year?"

Megumi nodded as she leaned in. She wobbled slightly, but was so eager to explain to the newest addition to their group, that she didn't seem to notice Sano reach out to steady her. "Every birthday for the past six years. We were all spectacularly broke back then, thanks to uni, and Misao ordered us not to get her anything for her birthday. Instead, she requested that we speak in nothing but 'Can't Touch This' lyrics for the entire day."

"My! My-my-my music makes me so hard! Makes me say, 'oh my lord!'" Kaoru belted out automatically and then squealed happily. The laughs that shook her body brought tears to her eyes and after a moment, she gasped for breath. "We couldn't stop saying that for weeks!"

Sano nodded, his eyes briefly glazing over in memory. "Since then it's been tradition. She picks the most ridiculous songs, man."

Kenshin laughed. "Was there any reason she picked 'Baby Got Back' this year?"

"We have no clue," Megumi confessed. "All we know is that she spends _weeks_ searching for the perfect song."

"We better get out there before she comes and drags us," Kaoru told them. They all snapped back into Lyric Mode and downed the last of their drinks before grinning at each other.

Tucking his features into a saucy gaze, Sano locked eyes with Megumi. "I want to get you home," he told her.

Without skipping a beat, her smiled widened. "I'd rather stay and play," she responded coyly, and then flitted out of his grasp and away into the sea of people.

"I just can't help myself," Sano muttered, launching himself to his feet and quickly following her.

"My homeboys tried to warn me…" Kaoru shook her head, watching her friends disappear.

Kenshin visibly fumbled with his thoughts as he looked over to his only remaining companion. "Use me, use me?" he offered, clearly uncertain.

Kaoru, deciding not to give in so easily, admitted, "I ain't down with that."

"But I gotta be straight…"

"Then turn around," Kaoru granted magnanimously. "Stick it out!"

Clearly having offered him access to an additional pool of confidence, Kenshin surprised her by narrowing his eyes, latching onto her hand, and exclaiming, "To hell with romancin', Rump-o'-smooth-skin." Before the peal of giggles could bubble to her lips, he had dragged her after the others.


	9. Happy

**A/N:** This is one of the five original one-shots I'd written a few months ago, so I'm very happy to be able to include it. Originally, I was just writing unrelated things, but then I got the idea for the bet (coming VERY soon, I promise) and that made me switch gears and start writing this drabble collection. Extra points to anyone who listens to this song while reading! And if anyone actually _knows_ this band, I need you to be my friend. Now. Seriously.

* * *

 **^.-**

 **Happy Little Boozer**

 **-Korpiklaani-**

*Kenshin's POV*

Fast. Energetic. Chaotic. Rampant.

I'd been warned. Excessively. ' _This is going to be insane,'_ they'd said. _'It'll be so loud it'll make your jeans vibrate.' 'IT'S GOING TO MELT YOUR FACE OFF!'_

The warnings didn't even come close to reality.

Undaunted, I declared that I'd be fine.

And I was. I was absolutely out of my element, and I found myself overloaded by everything around me. The fact that it was the first show I'd ever been to may have had a lot to do with that. But really… I found myself thoroughly enjoying every moment.

Standing in darkness that was only shattered by moderate stage lighting, my ears throbbed from the extreme decibel level of pounding drums, energetic bass and guitar riffs, and the shouting vocals. I was surrounded by people, mostly dressed in dark garb, all of them bobbing their heads along to the music. Some of them sang the words quietly to themselves, keeping their eyes fixed on the band parading on stage. Some of them, clearly more seasoned fans, were shouting the words and throwing their fists in the air to emphasize certain lyrics. Some were so into it that they actually threw their heads back and forth as they shouted.

And then there was Kaoru.

In the two months I'd known her, I'd gathered the obvious. She was a spirited woman. She worked hard at everything she did. She was funny and loved to laugh. She was bubbly and cheerful and made everyone around her smile. But _never_ would I have pinned her to be someone who enjoyed metal music. Not that it was a negative thing, by any means. It was just so heavy and chaotic that it was shocking that someone so sunny got such enjoyment from it.

When I told her as much, she and Sano quickly snuffed my misconception. Heavy music was enjoyed by all types of people, and quite often it was the nicest people who listened to it.

That point was made abundantly clear to me as I stood beside Sano. Before us, flailing and dancing wildly as if she'd been doing it for years, Kaoru was happier and more energetic than I'd ever seen her. Like she owned the place, she strutted along as she sang emphatically, pausing periodially to bounce on her heels in glee, and then slamming downward into some heavy power singing. I didn't know what else to call it… she just stopped at particularly rampant parts of songs, planted her feet on the ground, and belted out insanely fast and intense lyrics.

Sano, for his part, was only slightly more subdued than his counterpart. He remained in place instead of bouncing around, but amply made up for it by growling along with the singer and jamming out in place. Every so often, Kaoru would dance over, they would lean their heads toward each other, and they would scream certain lyrics to each other before she flitted away again in a circular dance of passion.

It truly was mesmerizing to witness, and I couldn't wipe the happy smirk off my face. I could feel the numbing bass flutter against my jeans and subsequently against my thighs. So strong were the speakers that they even forced my heartbeat to melt and coincide with each powerful thud, and though it made me feel breathless at times, I couldn't have felt more invigorated. The entire experience was unlike anything else and I knew I'd always look back on that night and smile _._

As she spun again and leapt back toward Sano to belt out the next chorus, she threw her gaze in my direction and locked eyes with me. Grinning, she flung herself around Sano again, screaming along with the singer before she flailed herself in my direction. Latching onto my arm, she managed to throw me off balance in her eagerness, which only made it easier for her to lock the insides of our elbows. Without warning, she spun, and her momentum sent us flying counterclockwise. She squealed in delight at our spinning, chaotic jig, and felt the momentary tension melt right out of me. Within seconds, I found myself grinning as widely as she was.

As the song ended, she released me and I caught sight of a playful smirk right before she sauntered off into the next song.

For the next forty minutes, I couldn't take my eyes off of her.


	10. Moonlight

**A/N:** Minor warning for Sano being Sano. :)

* * *

^.~

 **Moonlight**

"You know her rule, man."

Kenshin was startled into reality and he turned sheepishly to his childhood friend. "Eh… what do you mean?" he tried, but knew he'd been pinned like a kid who'd been caught peeking at his birthday presents.

Sano fixed him with a knowing look, effectively urging Kenshin to drop the act.

Heaving out an exasperated sigh, Kenshin leaned against the balustrade and returned his gaze to the girls chasing each other playfully in the grassy, moonlit fields below them. He could see Kaoru's smile even from the distance and it made his chest swell. "It's not like there's an 'off' switch, you know."

"You should have short-circuited the fuse before even testing it."

"And how would I have known to do that before actually meeting her?" he grumbled.

Rolling his eyes, Sano followed his friend's line of sight, but deviated at the last second until he locked in on the tallest of the three women. "I mean… I hear ya. But it's not like you didn't know the rule to begin with. I told ya before you even met her that she would never date you. You had the automatic sentencing of the Friendzone before anything else." Ignoring the light glare Kenshin shot at him, he scrunched his face slightly. "In hindsight, maybe I could have introduced you another way that wouldn't have thrown you into the dungeon so easily. But you're too damn honest and would have blown it, and she would have found out anyway and skinned both of us. So see? You were screwed either way." He snorted. "… or not screwed- HEY!" he shouted as Kenshin's hand slapped the back of his head.

The pained yell broke the women from their game and they gazed up at the men in concern before Kenshin waved to them good-naturedly. Shrugging, Misao took the opportunity of the others' distraction and pounced on Megumi, provoking an undignified shriek from the doctor-to-be.

"Jeez…" Sano grumbled, rubbing at what was sure to become a bruise. "You know I was kidding, damn it. She's like my sister, for cryin' out loud. In fact, if you ever do end up touching her, I'd have to kick your ass." Sano eyed him imperiously before melting into sympathy again. "Seriously- she's too damn stubborn. It'll never happen, man. You can thank the bastard for that."

Kenshin whirled around to face his childhood friend. " _What bastard_?"

"Look, it's not really my story to tell." Sano tried to brush it off awkwardly, but Kenshin's narrowed eyes told him it would be in his best interest to explain. The towering man heaved out a sigh. "The short version, without getting too personal, is that there were two other people- siblings- in our little group, and Kaoru dated one of them after a while. The breakup wasn't horrible, but it was enough to cause the siblings to split off. It wasn't just a breakup between two people- all of us ended up losing two decent friends, and she's always shouldered the blame for that. Doesn't matter how many times we keep tellin' her it wasn't her fault."

Kenshin's hard gaze softened, and he turned to look back out over the field bathed in moonbeams. "I would never do anything like that," he asserted.

"I didn't say you would, but she still wouldn't want to risk it."

"I don't think you understand, Sano. I want to date her," Kenshin said, his voice taking on a nervous, uneven edge. "I haven't dated since before I left. It's been seven or eight years."

" _Shit_." The oath drew the redhead's attention back to Sano, who suddenly understood why his friend's pools of amethyst had deepened. "She's the... I mean, you're _that_ kind of serious about this?"

A short laugh sprang into the air. "I guess I underestimated your warning about her right hook. She knocked me to the ground before I could think to defend myself."

"No 'off' switch, huh?"

"No 'off' switch."

"Shit."

Aoshi, who'd been standing motionlessly beside them the entire time, broke his silence with four words that sent Kenshin reeling. "You could challenge her."

Both Kenshin and Sano turned to face him, and Kenshin's lips slowly curved into a smile. "That I could…"


	11. Sake

^.-

 **Sake**

"Fourteen." Kaoru said, paling a bit more. Initially, the contest had been fun and exciting, but now it was difficult to resist the urge to run off to Kenshin's bathroom. She'd laughed at Megumi for retreating into the kitchen, but now Kaoru wasn't so sure that she didn't have the right idea.

Cringing as Misao and Sano each picked up another marshmallow and shoved them into their already full mouths, Kaoru's hand rose to her lips. Though his stomach was a bit stronger than hers, Kenshin was equally horrified and had even begun to shift backward, praying no one would notice.

"Fifteen," Aoshi intoned, picking up the count that Kaoru had abandoned. How he wasn't recoiling at the fact that his girlfriend had fifteen marshmallows shoved in her mouth, was beyond her.

After eight, Kaoru had pleaded with them to call it off- they could both go down in history as having the biggest mouths- but it wasn't enough. Defiantly, they'd pressed on until only Aoshi could stomach being the referee.

Honestly… to say a med student backed out of witnessing this spectacle was saying a lot.

"Sixteen."

Unable to take any more, Kaoru spun around to face the front door, only to shriek when she locked in on someone who had absolutely _not_ been there minutes ago.

The hulking mountain of a man ignored her shock, unable to remove his eyes from the scene before him. "So this is why you've been too busy to come see me," his voice bounded across the room, effectively stopping everyone's movements.

Spluttering awkwardly, Kenshin rushed forward and bowed stiffly. "H-Hiko-sensei!"

Hiko reached up to massage the migraine out of his temples. "Well? What are you waiting for, idiot? Haven't I taught you how to properly welcome your guests?"

"Yes, sensei!" Kenshin stammered, and then disappeared into the kitchen which Megumi had just vacated.

The sounds of porcelain knocking against each other echoed forth from the kitchen as everyone watched the newcomer take a seat at the head of the dining table that ran along one side of the room. Broad shoulders kept his flowing, white cape from engulfing him entirely as he situated himself, and he generally ignored everyone as his eyes roamed around the room. His gaze hesitated on Sano and Misao spitting their marshmallows back into the bowls in their hands.

"Uh… hey there Uncle Hiko. Long time no see," he laughed inelegantly, wiping marshmallow slobber from his lips.

Hiko rolled his eyes and glanced heavenward. "And here I thought you'd turn out half decent," he muttered just as Kenshin rushed back into the room.

"Uncle?" Misao asked.

"No real relation," Sano tried to explain in as few words as possible as he shifted anxiously. "He just kicked my ass if I tried to address him any more politely and it felt weird just calling him Hiko."

Kaoru was more than a little baffled as to who this _Hiko-sensei_ was, why he thought he could just barge in without so much as knocking, and why Confident Kenshin was reduced to looking like an graceless, timorous student in the span of three questions.

Carefully placing a lacquer tray before his sensei, Kenshin's clearly experienced fingers poured the first bit of liquid from a large jug, and then offered it to the mountain. With narrowed eyes, the man sniffed at the drink and then tipped it between his lips, downing the small cup in one easy swig. "Hmm… seems you're not so useless, after all." For some bizarre reason, Kenshin's tenseness deflated at the comment. Why did it seem like everything would be ok, now that the man had a jug of sake? "Although you are still an idiot. What kind of host forgets to introduce his guests?"

Kenshin, apparently having calmed down a great deal, regained some of his normal mannerisms and a more confident tone as he introduced each of his friends. "And this is my master, Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth." He hesitated for a second. "Why are you here?"

Hiko reached out and wrapped his fingers around the loop at the top of the jug, successfully pulling it closer to pour himself another drink. "You've been back in Japan for two months and you hadn't even thought to pay your sensei a visit. I thought I'd save you the trouble of making the trip."

"…How thoughtful."

"I know. Now quit being an idiot and get your friends some cups, unless you expect them to drink out of their hands." Then he beckoned everyone else to sit at the table with him. Bewildered, and more than a little curious, they obliged and rested their gazes on Hiko until Kenshin returned with six more ochoko. Expertly pouring sake into each of them, Hiko handed them out, gulped his down, refilled it, and then crossed his arms across his barrel-shaped chest. "Now. Since it's clear this idiot hasn't told you about me, I think it's fair to share some stories. What do you say, moron?"

"I, uh… I don't think that's quite necessary," Kenshin protested lightly as if trying not to offend, but Hiko wasn't having it.

"Nonsense. Why would you deprive these fine people of a good story while we share a drink?" He pondered for a moment, and cut Kenshin off as he made to object again. "Ah… I know just the one to start with. The day I was finally able to prove to Kenshin that there were no youkai lurking in the pantry."


	12. The Beginning of the End

**^.-**

 **The Beginning of the End**

"I bet you're a complete coward," she laughed, her eyelids closing in mirth as she clutched her shaking abdomen.

The grin that swept Kenshin's lips upward was devious, and he was glad to have had a moment before her eyes opened again. "Oh?" he queried innocently, secretly reveling in the reality that this moment had _finally_ come. He'd been waiting for nearly two weeks, trying to urge her as innocently as possible in this direction but she'd been stubborn, even in her obliviousness, and he hadn't quite succeeded until that moment. Now that it had finally come, Kenshin was _not_ going to release it. "You'd bet, huh?"

Kaoru snorted at his bold reply, and slapped her knee at the hilarity of what he'd said before. She had to stifle another slew of giggles in order to form a response he could understand. "Yeah," she affirmed, unknowingly sealing her own fate. "I bet you're a coward. A big chicken like Sano, probably."

Kenshin's laugh was low and would have been menacing, had she not curiously felt her insides curling heatedly. "Alright then," he replied smoothly. "Let's bet."

The words caught her a bit off guard, but she heard the challenge clearly, and her honor would not allow her to back down.

Kenshin grinned at the almost imperceptible shift in her smile. If this worked out, Kenshin owed Aoshi _big time._

"You think I'm a coward, so I'll have to prove you wrong," he began, choosing his words carefully, not quite trusting her not to twist them. "And the only way to prove it, is to show you that I'm not as easy to scare as you are. Starting tomorrow, we'll try to scare each other, and the first successful, _legitimate_ scare will win."

"Woah," Kaoru laughed, cutting him off before he could elaborate on the prize. "We can make this much more fun." She would _not_ be outdone. She tapped her index finger against her chin, before proclaiming, "How about the first person to fully scare the other ten times, wins? We'll even keep a tally."

Kenshin's grin widened slowly. "I think that's a brilliant idea," he said, his voice taking on a silken texture and sending gooseflesh trailing down her arms. "The first one to ten scares will be the victor. What would you like as your prize?"

She scrunched her nose and thought carefully, hesitating only a moment before she busted out laughing. "Okay- if I win, I get to play with your hair and style it however I want- bows and flowers are fair play- and we will invite Uncle Hiko back over that same night so he can tell all the other embarrassing stories about you that he can remember."

Kenshin looked rightly mortified, but he quickly tried to reassemble his composure. He briefly thought to weigh the risks (what was the worst thing Hiko could tell her?) but then quickly overrode any hesitation. This was far too important, and if that was the price to pay, so be it. But he was _not_ going to lose. "Are you sure you want that to be your prize?"

A hint of hesitance was introduced into her tone, but she remained resolute. "Yes. What about you? What's your imagined prize? Don't put too much thought into it, since you won't win, anyway," she added brazenly.

Oh… she had _no_ idea how much thought had already gone into it. Kenshin made sure to hold her gaze as he easily proclaimed his end of the bargain. "If I win, I claim my prize to be three nights out with you."

Kaoru faltered. "Wait… as in… _dates?_ "

"Nights out," Kenshin clarified before she could protest. "Just simple nights out for the two of us… but I choose where we go."

"Kenshin," she said seriously, "you know I don't date my friends."

"I didn't say they were dates." He hoped his light smile would reassure her. "Nights out. And if at any point you start to feel uncomfortable, you can call it off and we'll leave."

She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering how he had so quickly come up with his terms, and why he had so carefully worded his end of the deal. It was almost as if he had planned this…

With narrowed eyes, she threw out her hand. Kenshin's warm skin met hers in a firm, resolute shake, and she couldn't help but think there was more to this than he was letting on.

Either way, it didn't matter. She was going to destroy him. By the time she was done with him, he was going to wet himself at least once.

* * *

 **A/N:** Contrary to the title of this chapter, the actual end of this drabble series is far off. I have 10 others already written, and plans for about as many more. I'm having way too much fun with this. But don't expect for all of the following chapters to be related to the bet. For one, that would get way too old, way too fast. And two, there's more going on in the meantime, and I want to cover a handful of those events. Don't worry... plenty of giddy humor to come! ^.^


	13. Blue Moon

A/N: In honor of the blue moon last night. :)

* * *

 **Blue Moon**

Kaoru ducked into her kitchen, gnawing on her lip lightly. Where would she have stored that huge serving platter? Attention divided between the fantastic spread Megumi had brought over, and finding the platter it could be served upon, Kaoru flipped through her cupboards desperately. It smelled so _good_!

"Got it!" she called out, spotting it around the awkward bend of the cabinet that hugged her sink. Kaoru all but dove into the tiny nook before emerging triumphant. Grinning proudly to herself, she cleaned it off quickly before transferring Megumi's salivating-inducing treats onto it and bringing it forth into her living room.

Everyone dove at the platter, which drew explicit attention to Kenshin, who remained seated on the edge of the couch. Immersed in his phone, he only looked up when Kaoru was standing directly before him. "Everything ok?" she asked.

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly. "I was just reading about how tonight is a blue moon because of the-"

"Seriously!?" Kaoru squealed, bouncing away from him. "It's actually blue?"

"Well, not exactly-" It was all he had time to say before Kaoru flung open the curtains that shielded her small window from view. There, hanging neatly from the curtain rod, was a traditional noh mask- a pale face with high eyebrows and a hauntingly spooky smile- positioned perfectly at eye level.

Kaoru's reaction was seamless- she'd barely thrown the curtains aside before she released a high-pitched shriek that silenced everyone else.

Raising a hand to cover her frantically racing heart, Kaoru gasped for breath for a moment before turning slowly and meeting the laughter that had erupted into the room. Despite their delighted giggles that sprang into the air, her eyes sought out a single person, and she found him immediately. His grin was so wide that it crinkled his eyes and peals of laughter easily spilled forth.

"One-zero," Kenshin finally managed, snorting as Misao fell to the ground and literally began rolling on her back. Tears streamed out of eyes like she'd been cutting an onion, and Sano and Megumi were not much better off. Even Aoshi looked like he was biting his lip.

"Oh-ho-ho…" Kaoru jeered. "Don't you worry, Red. I have plenty in store for you."


	14. New Restaurant

**^.-**

 **New Restaurant**

" _I just left,"_ Kaoru's voice rose from the earpiece. _"I'll be there in a few minutes."_

Kenshin smiled. "Have you decided what you're in the mood for?"

" _Oh!"_ Kaoru exclaimed. _"Yeah- I heard about this new place that opened up not too long ago. It's actually not too far from here. I'll send you a link so you can see the menu- hold on."_ There was silence, but a minute or so later, Kenshin's phone vibrated with an incoming message.

"I'll take a look now," he said, and they both hung up at the same time. Pressing down on the restaurant's link, Kenshin waited for the site to load, and shrieked out into his empty apartment when a ghoulish face sprang onto the screen instead. Its eyes were white, its mouth hollow, and its expression pulled into demonic delight, framed by stringy, oily hair. It looked as if this wretched thing was basking in the distress of those who looked upon it, and even looked happier as the seconds passed.

Kenshin's fear was over as quickly as it had engulfed him, and with seconds, he was glowering at the screen. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he calmed himself before opening his front door. He'd play it off. He'd tell Kaoru that her attempt was solid, but something so silly hadn't scared him.

But just as the door was fully opened, he saw a shadow zip out from his peripheral vision and dart toward him. Eyes widening as the shadow grew in size and emitted a horrifying series of shrieks, Kenshin quickly retreated into his apartment and threw up his fists in defense. Yet even as the shadow followed him into his home, Kenshin dropped his hands and groaned in disbelief.

Unable to hold back her giggles any more, Kaoru busted out laughing as she watched Kenshin's expression melt into embarrassed realization. "Two separate scares," she informed him as she peeled off the costume's mask to reveal glimmering sapphire. "Two-one."


	15. Chicken Parmesan

**A/N:** Ok, so to address J Luc Pitard's question, the bet about scaring each other is not the only one I have planned. This is a separate bet they made in the meantime, and this bet in particular will only consist of this chapter. As of right now, I have one other planned bet, which will comprise the final 5 or so chapters. I've had THAT idea in mind for a year and a half, and I was over the moon when I realized it would fit seamlessly as a finale for this drabble series. ^.^ Trust me- you'll love it! And don't worry... there are plenty of more scares ahead. I have a notebook full of things to choose from... and they are _glorious_.

* * *

 **^.-**

 **Chicken Parmesan**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

Scowling at the fumes that were floating much too slowly out the open windows, I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. I had _just_ been able to convince him that I could do this. And as he'd finally nodded in assent, that infuriating, mischievous glint in his eyes had only served to embolden me further. I'd _known_ that I had been digging my own grave with each word. _Known_ that it was a bad idea before the bet even left my traitorous lips, but that stupid, cheeky smile was too much to handle and I had to prove him wrong.

The absurd words of my stupid wager swam around in my head much more quickly than the dark plumes that were still hovering around my apartment.

Maybe this could still be salvaged… Maybe I could postpone this nightmare and give myself a second chance. Thinking up a quick excuse, I scooped up the phone I had been pointedly ignoring until then, pulled up his number, and took a deep breath as the line began to ring.

" _Hey, I just got here. I'll be up in a minute."_ Normally his voice made me smile, but this time his words made my veins freeze in panic. He was early!

"Oh, just stay down there." It came out so quickly that I flinched, but I boldly forced myself to barrel on. "I was just calling to let you know I forgot something important, so I won't be able to do it tonight. I'm grabbing some cash now and I'll meet you downstairs. Does pizza sound alright, instead?"

His pause was two heartbeats too long, and my eyes widened in horror as I ran around even faster, trying to collect my wallet and keys. _"Sure, that's fine."_ He sounded like he was moving, and his words echoed strangely…

SHIT! He was walking up the stairs!

"Great!" I said too loudly as I fumbled with my shoes. "I'm really sorry. Rain check for tomorrow night?"

" _Sounds good,"_ he replied. I was about to end the call, but he smoothly continued. _"Is everything in your building alright? It smelled weird outside and it's a lot stronger in here. Did something burn?"_

I hung up just before a string of curses flowed into the receiver. I dove into the stairwell and heaved the door shut seconds before he appeared from the landing below.

"Hey!" I called over my shoulder, cringing as I tried to find the right key. Feeling beyond flustered, my fingers were much clumsier than normal and if he didn't see how much my hands were shaking, he surely heard the jangling keys knocking into each other angrily. Talking loudly over the sound, I continued our phone conversation before he asked why I hung up on him. "I didn't hear anything from the neighbors and I haven't seen any firetrucks. Maybe it's coming from another building?"

Finally hearing the lock click shut, I spun around and bit back a startled squeak when I nearly ran into him.

"I don't think so," he replied casually. Heart racing, I cautiously met his cognizant eyes and mentally cursed in three different languages. He _knew._ "The smell got stronger as I came up. It has to be from this building. Good to know the smell is confined to the stairwells and outside, though."

"Right." I agreed, then latched onto his bicep and dragged him away from the door. "Good thing."

I could hear the smirk in his voice as he changed the subject. "So tomorrow is going to be the magical night, huh?"

It was good thing he was behind me and didn't see my glare, but my voice betrayed me anyway as I ground out the disastrous bet for the second time. "Best damn chicken parmesan you'll ever have."

His words were light and had a jovial lilt. "I can't wait."


	16. Pantry

**Pantry**

Kenshin grinned at her comment. Snarky and clever as ever, she was. If he didn't stay on his toes, she'd have him backed into a verbal corner before he even thought to be concerned.

Reaching absently into his pantry, Kenshin shot her a look and rolled his eyes at her follow-up comment. "You'd best be careful, Kaoru. I'm not sure how many people would tolerate that big headOFYOURS!" he squealed. Swinging forth in his wake was a small youkai doll swaying to and from his pantry on a string that had been triggered when he'd moved the container of rice.

His eyes narrowed at her as she announced "Three-one!" It was at that moment he knew he'd have to step up his efforts. He'd been afraid to do some things because they may have passed over the line. He'd been afraid to anger her, because he surely wasn't going to help his chances with her by employing some messed up prank. But now that she'd ruthlessly employed his childhood fear, _a_ _nything_ from that point forth would be fair game.


	17. Footsteps

**A/N:** I'M SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE! YEESH! Seriously, I have legit excuses. Like, for example, the fact that until two weeks ago, my wedding date was entirely up in the air and could have been two years from now, for all we knew. But as of this week, it's in five or six months. Long story short, I wanted to get married in a damn castle or some nice historical place, but Florida hasn't stopped giving me the middle finger since I was seven, so why would it now? *Must not go on rant* Anyway… we found a place that we both like and with a combination of them remodeling and being booked otherwise, we're left with two possible dates in either January or February. So needless to say, we're on super speed trying to get stuff together. Tomorrow will be the first time I'm going to try on wedding dresses, and I'm kinda losing my mind. I hear the place we're getting brunch beforehand has endless mimosas… And that will be a VERY good thing, indeed. Otherwise I have no idea how I'll get through the day.

But yeah… with all that and about forty other non-minor things going on, I haven't much time at all to even think about this fic, and I feel terribly for it. I want to get this chapter out and write up the gap chapters between this and the ones I already have written before things get too far out of hand.

Either way, I promise to finish this… and with some planning on my part, the timelines may even match up to some extent. :)

* * *

 **Footsteps**

 **^.-**

Kaoru sighed heavily as she crawled into bed and pulled the blankets over herself. It had been a long day, but all of her stresses had vanished the moment her friends had appeared at her door. Apparently Misao's _'Spidey Sense'_ had been going off, and that had prompted her to collect Megumi and Kenshin before pounding on her door like a battering ram.

Kaoru would have put money on the fact that Misao had just been bored and wrangled together everyone she could to entertain her, as could have been evidenced by the fact that neither Sano and Aoshi were anywhere to be seen.

But that was neither here nor there.

Regardless of the reason for her friends' appearance, it was just what Kaoru had needed, and her demanding day had vanished like a ghost after the lights had been switched on. Although the board game they'd played had _clearly_ been rigged for Megumi to win, they'd still laughed and had a good time and shared some great laughs at Sano's expense.

Now that they had left, Kaoru felt herself calming down. Typically after spending time with her friends, her worries came back to pester her until she fell asleep, but Kaoru had began to notice more and more that recently _nothing_ was resurfacing. It was as if a giant eraser was swept over the weight on her shoulders, which was only reset in the mornings.

Nestling deeper into the pillows, she tried to ignore the obnoxious voice in her head that continued to point out that every time the eraser swooped down on her, Kenshin just so happened to be present.

Closing her eyes lightly and smiling at a particularly funny joke from earlier, she nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone began vibrating beside her. Reaching over, she checked the message.

' _Did you remember to turn the stove off?'_

Kaoru rolled her eyes. ' _Yes.'_

' _Just checking!_ _'_

Honestly… almost burn her apartment building down _once_ \- a year and a half ago!- _and she was still dealing with the repercussions!_

' _Night Mismis.'_

' _Sweet dreams Kaobear.'_

Thirty minutes later, Kaoru was on the fringes of sleep and the world of the living, when she heard footsteps. Eyes springing open, she instinctually focused on the ceiling as she listened more closely. She could have sworn she'd heard someone moving around her apartment.

Skin tingling in discomfort, she clutched her sheets more tightly in her fists as she focused on the sounds. She _knew_ what she'd heard, but she had to pinpoint before she could react-

THERE!

It sounded like someone was in her room, _even though she KNEW there wasn't!_ Regardless, it sounded like someone was trotting back and forth _very_ close to her, and before she knew it, she was upright in her bed and her eyes were gazing back and forth, following the intruder's footfalls.

Yet even as she wondered about the intruder, she knew that no one was there, and no one was walking back and forth!

So it had to be a ghost.

With wide, horrified eyes, she slowly pushed back the covers and with extreme care, she positioned her legs to be ready for a quick escape.

" _Heehee!"_ a voice cackled behind her. **Behind** \- where only the wall was. Within half a heartbeat, Kaoru was up and across the room, standing in the corner and staring wide-eyed at her bed.

"It's not funny," she protested the ghost in a surprisingly even tone.

The sound that replied was inhuman- it was more like a gurgling, strangled promise than anything else.

Without a second of hesitation, a bokken was secured firmly in her palms and held in place with tightly clenched fingers as she stared in horror across her room. "You're mine now!" the thing screeched abruptly, sending Kaoru into a full panic. Shrieking, she fled the room, ran across the living room, and flung her balcony doors open. The balcony didn't quite provide the best escape route, but it was closer than her front door, so it was her only option.

Valiantly holding out her bokken, she narrowed her eyes as a mass surged up from the darkness of her apartment. Without pausing, the mass flung itself forward, and launched itself at Kaoru, who in return shrieked and positioned herself appropriately to strike out at-

" _Sano?!"_

Half a heartbeat later, the gurgling voice from her bed called out right beside her ear. Her wooden sword was flying horizontally through the air before she even dared to look, and was only partially horrified to see Kenshin hanging for dear life on the balcony's railing.

"Three-three," he managed after a moment.

"No!" Kaoru defended immediately. "Three-two! Only actual scares count! That was the deal! You got me with the footsteps, but just now you only startled me! It's not the same thing!"

Kenshin gnawed on his lip, barely taking notice of Kaoru helping him back onto her balcony. "Hmm… you do have a point. The bet specified that we had to scare each other." He locked his eyes on her, and her breath caught as the moonlight framed his face so perfectly it was almost painful. "So I suppose that does leave us at three-two, in your favor."

"Well, actually four-two, since I scared you by almost knocking you off the balcony."

The cheeky smirk that met her glare was infuriating. "I was only startled. Three-two," he reiterated, already heading to the front door with Sano.

"How can you be so casual about almost being knocked off the side of the building?!" she screeched after them.

Kenshin merely waved his hand over his shoulder in recognition, not bothering to look back. "The risks are well worth the outcome to be gained," he informed her, and then he neatly shut the door behind himself, leaving Kaoru alone in her apartment. And she hadn't even had a chance to get onto Sano for lurking in her living room!

"AUGH!" she shouted, stepping in and locking the balcony door behind herself. She took extra caution in checking around to make sure neither of them had left any surprises, and eventually, she found herself back in her bed again.

For the next forty-five minutes, she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling… wondering how he'd pulled it off. The arrogant sneak. And what the hell did he mean by what he'd said? What gains were there to be had?! He was _not_ getting a date out of her, damn it, regardless of how attractive he was! And even if he did somehow win, a night or whatever alone with him wouldn't matter! She'd been alone with him often, and never had it truly mattered! He was insane if he thought something was going to come from him winning the bet.

And gods help her, he was _not_ going to win.

That settled, she closed her eyes resolutely and screamed her face off as a deep voice cackled behind her head. Glowering, she bolted upright and shoved her hand underneath her pillow, pulling out a small, round, Bluetooth speaker. "Three-three," Kenshin said through the device after a moment, either unable or unwilling to suppress his laughter.

Kaoru's fingers flew around the device, finally locating the power button. Once it was successfully off, she threw the speaker at her wall for good measure. "Just you wait, Red."


	18. Sidewalk

**A/N:** I just got back from vacation! Woo! Got to climb a mountain and NOT sweat every time I walked outside, so I feel refreshed and happy. :)

* * *

 **Sidewalk**

Forcing a hand over her mouth, Kaoru tried with all her might to imagine she was somewhere else. A dark, empty, terrifying place. Yeah… that should work-

Nope. It wasn't nearly enough.

Okay… how about something disgusting? Like that time Sano took his socks off in the car after a full day's worth of sweat buildup? Yes. That was infinitely more helpful to control her giggl-

NOW!

The second a shadow covered the alley, she sprang up off the ground and ran as fast as she could and latched onto him. The force of her ambush should have swept Kenshin off his feet and into the lush grass on the opposite side of the sidewalk, but he had surprisingly great balance and was able to remain upright. His hands had instinctively curled around her waist, and he'd lifted and spun clockwise with her momentum in order to slow her to a gentle stop.

 _How_ had he done that!?

Feeling flustered, yet knowing that there was no way to weasel her way out it this time, Kaoru pulled herself from his grasp and smiled up at him. "Four-three," she announced confidently.

The declaration made him laugh and he shifted his weight to lean on his other foot. "No. It's definitely three-three."

"I HEARD YOU SQUEAL!" she cried indignantly. "I scared you!" It took everything in her to refrain from sticking her tongue out at him as his grin widened.

"Still doesn't count. The terms very clearly stated the need to evoke a legitimate, undeniable reaction of either fear, terror, or horror." Her glare darkened. "They _were_ your words, remember? ' _Startling'_ fits none of those categories."

She stubbornly crossed her arms across her chest, releasing an exasperated groan. "Fine. Three-three," she groaned loudly and spun around, marching toward her apartment. She'd planned it out _so damn well_! She'd actually went downstairs and walked three blocks to hide in that alley, just so she could scare him- and it _backfired._ So help him- she'd get him so good the next time that even he would acquiesce to it counting twice.

Kenshin appeared by her side and kept her irritated pace easily enough. After a calculated moment, he interrupted her scheming. "You could always just surrender now. I'll even reduce your payment term by half."

"You're _insane_ ," she shot back with a glare.

The laugh that tumbled from his lips was easy and light and menacing all at the same time. "In that case, I would like to inform you that I've already picked out all three of the places we will be going to." His pause was deliberate and gave Kaoru just enough time to edge toward panic. He waited just long enough for her eyes to widen before he slyly added, "Oh, and I've already secured Misao's cooperation. She had all of your outfits picked out before she hung up the phone."

" _ **Traitor**_!" Kaoru seethed, deliberately ignoring Kenshin's growing grin.

"Don't worry. She told me that she picked out the pinkest, frilliest dresses she could find."

Kaoru felt her blood simmering. Lifting her poisonous glare from the uneven sidewalk, she watched her apartment building gradually getting close and closer. Automatically, her eyes drifted over to her window… where she saw Misao.

Clutching her cellphone…

…Wearing the biggest smirk Kaoru had ever seen in her life.

As Kaoru's jaw dropped from the horrible duplicity, Misao blew her a kiss and danced out of view.

"Excuse me for a moment," Kenshin said as he fished something out of his pocket. "I was in the middle of a call when you greeted me. Just want to give her a quick call back-"

 _DEATH!_


	19. Rainbows

**A/N:** Minor language in this one. Does anyone even care about these warnings? I don't know if they're worth including.

* * *

 **^.-**

 **Rainbows**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

The banging on the door had been relentless for the past several minutes, but I was convinced that he would soon give up. He was too considerate to break down the door, so honestly- how much longer could he really be at it? It was a Friday night, for crying out loud. Surely he had better places to be. He'd probably be gone in the next couple of minutes.

As if on cue, the banging subsided, and I held my breath as I listened for any more sounds. When I heard nothing, I closed my eyes, relishing the newly attained silence.

"Kaoru."

Shrieking at the voice that was suddenly immediately before me and very much within my personal bubble, my eyes flew open, only to meet two orbs of lavender perfection. "What are you doing in here?!" I shouted, immediately feeling defensive. He'd clearly violated my privacy and broken in and _almost_ scared the pee out of me and _why_ was he so close!?

"I have a key, remember?"

"No!" I retaliated automatically, but even as the single syllable left my lips, I knew it was untrue. "Yes!" I amended. "But that doesn't give you the right to break in!"

He rolled his eyes at me and heaved me off the couch. "It's not breaking in if I have a key that you gave me, and it's well within reason for me to check up on you. You've been ignoring my calls for three days."

"Oh," I mumbled, casting my eyes downward. He was right to be concerned, but I couldn't help myself. It was likely too late to cover the tear stains on my cheeks, but moved my head so that my bangs brushed forward and covered my eyes in shadows anyway. I tried to dodge around him to move into the kitchen, but he grabbed my wrist, successfully stopping me.

"Have you been crying?" he asked pointedly. Had I not been trying to hide my puffy eyes, I would have glared at him for being so blunt, but I neatly restrained myself, shaking my head slightly. His fingers touched my chin and gently urged my head up. Grudgingly, I met his worried gaze. "Please tell me what's wrong, Kaoru."

His sweet, concerned tone was my undoing, and without warning, my arms flew around his shoulders. Squeezing him tightly, I sniffed and felt fresh tears pooling in my eyes. "I don't know what to do," I wept, uncaring of how much my voice was squeaking. "How am I going to move on when I don't know what to do with myself?"

I felt him stiffen beneath my grasp, but his returned hug was as tender as ever. "I," he paused to clear his throat. "I thought you were over him? You said it was just one date. What happened?" he tried to coax kindly, and I adored him all the more for it.

"No," I blubbered, nuzzling into his shoulder for comfort and wondering why he thought I'd be weeping over a guy I hadn't seen in over a month. "Not him. _That_!" I blubbered, relinquishing one arm long enough to point at a collection of plastic cases on the counter beside him.

He turned his head just enough to understand, and for some reason beyond me, he actually _sighed_ in relief.

"It's serious!" I defended, hurt that he could brush off my heartbreak so easily. "Four seasons and over two thousand minutes of run time and now it's _over_! Forever!" My voice squeaked in my agony and the sound only made me cry harder.

"You're right," he said, stroking my hair smoothly as he rested his chin back against my temple. "You're right. It'll be ok," he assured me, though I couldn't deny that it sounded like he was smiling. "Come on- I'll take your mind off of it."

I sniffled, but allowed him to lead me back to the couch. We had started hugging each other in friendly greeting and in farewell within the first couple of weeks of meeting- nothing different from how I greeted Sano and Aoshi. But that contact was never longer than a second or two. It wasn't a big deal that he was touching me by the counter. I was the one who had launched myself at him, after all. But as he dragged me down onto the couch and tucked me against his chest, I felt my stomach start to flop around erratically. My breathing hitched too obviously to ignore, but it was possible he would attribute it to the deep sorrow I felt at the ending of one of the best stories ever.

There, wrapped safely in his arms, I snuggled against him and felt days of grief flowing out through my skin faster than I could have imagined. Tears were still flowing, but they were slowing as I became more and more aware of our position. His scent curled around me like catnip, and his warmth was so soothing that I couldn't resist the urge to bury myself as close as I could get. Why did he have to be so irresistibly _comforting_?

Gradually, the hand that was stroking my hair slowed and moved to rest on my shoulder. "Are you ready for some rainbows?" he asked me so quietly- so _innocently_ \- that it took me an extra second to comprehend.

The fire that instinctively rose in my throat quickly burned up any stray tears and I pulled away to meet his victorious gaze with one that promised countless painful deaths. Taking my time to delicately shift myself out of his grasp, I moved until I was able to lean close to his ear and whisper, "The Rainbow Road is the last thing you will see before plummeting into a dark abyss."

Feeling satisfied with my threat, I pulled away but was only met with a wide grin. "I seem to recall that you were the one shouting more profanity than Sano last time."

"HE WAS FUCKING CHEATING!" I seethed, but ripped myself off the couch and marched over to set up the console. "Don't worry, Red. I won't bruise your ass too much."

"Shame…" he mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" I asked, whipping around.

"Can't wait for the game," he said easily, though his grin only widened with my darkening glare.

So help him…

* * *

 **A/N:** Rainbow Road is clearly from Mario Kart. The true Friendship Ender.

And this chapter is dedicated to FMA, which is something I've been obsessed with for months. Because omg. Just finished the first Brotherhood and I'm losing my mind until Brotherhood 2 comes in tomorrow. I'm already feeling the heartbreak of only having 30 or so episodes left. I haven't gotten half as obsessed over anything for two years, so I already know I'm going to be devastated. Good thing there's FF, right? Haha..


	20. Mistake

**A/N:** Within two nights, we've already gotten through half of the second Brotherhood. I want to power through the rest because its soooooo amazinnnngggggg, but I know that will only bring on the pain of loss so much faster. Oh, the agony of falling in love... x.x

* * *

 **Mistake**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

Opening the door had been a huge mistake. I'd been a responsible adult and peeked through the little hole in the door, and when I'd seen Sano, I'd thought nothing of it. Yet, when I'd turned the latch and twisted the knob, it seemed that all my caution had been for nothing.

Without a word, Kenshin sauntered in, smiling happily as I peeked around the wooden slab and waited for Sano to barge through.

"Who are you looking for?" Kenshin asked politely, despite my narrowed expression.

"Sano was just out here," I informed him, stubbornly gazing out into the hallway for several more seconds. I _knew_ I had seen his tall, dark hair. No one else in this building had the audacity to even try the hairstyle.

"I am alone, that I am, Kaoru," Kenshin regarded with light concern.

Realizing that Sano wasn't going to randomly barge in, I closed the door and eyed Kenshin as he settled his bags onto the counter top began to unpack them.

"Perhaps you should sit down," Kenshin remarked, and I couldn't ignore the grin that had spread across his cheeks.

"No- wait… what!?" I exclaimed, unable to comprehend why he had so many groceries. Like... fruits and vegetables and meat and stuff! He knew I'd been forbidden to use my stove unsupervised!

This had Sano written all over it, _damnit_. I KNEW I'd seen his stupid rooster hair! Oh, he was going to pay dearly…

"Don't worry," Kenshin said soothingly, just as I appeared by his side. "Dinner will be ready soon." His elbow flowed backward rhythmically, leaving perfect slices of onions on a chopping board that had appeared from nowhere. Somehow in the span of only a few heartbeats, he had whipped out that chopping board, a pan, poured a sliver of oil into a pan, put that pan over the range, turned the range on, and began chopping various vegetables.

"What dinner? I know I didn't forget this time."

"No, you didn't." Kenshin agreed, and though his voice was calm and his shoulders relaxed, it seemed like he was on the verge of laughing at my evident panic.

"But- then what are you doing? Why are you here?" I cringed at how rude the words sounded, but I was much too red-cheeked to pay it much mind.

"I've been informed that you've been studying 'like an insane zombie', I believe is how it was phrased." _Misao…_ "So I thought I would help relieve some stress."

"But I'm not stressed!" I objected.

He paused his chopping long enough to look at me seriously. I could feel his eyes linger on the darkness underneath my eyes, my frazzled hair, and my awkwardly shifted clothing. Ugh… he _would_ barge in when I was wearing the least flattering things I owned. He silently raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Fine! I'm a little stressed! But this is normal for the week before finals and _absolutely_ doesn't warrant you barging in and cooking dinner!" It wasn't that I didn't appreciate the thought. I was actually really humbled and more than a bit flustered by it. And being flustered meant being distracted and that meant I wouldn't be able to focus at all. Oh kami… when was the last time I showered?!

"Your fridge is full of nothing but takeout containers," he reminded me, and I wondered how he possibly had enough time to check that, too. "You need a decent, home cooked meal, and I'd be a terrible friend to knowingly let you resort to unhealthy food at a time when your body needs some vegetables."

I scrunched my nose at him. "What are you- my mother?" He grinned and returned to his chopping. "And none of my other friends came to so valiantly rescue me from the Dreaded Takeout Menu, and I don't think less of them!"

"I don't mind at all," he simply replied, effectively ending the conversation.

Rolling my eyes, I stomped away and straightened up the living room for a minute before disappearing into the bathroom. If he was staying, I needed a shower. "This better not become a habit!" I called over my shoulder, shutting the door behind me. Otherwise I'd never be able to focus.

Oh, merciful gods... when did it even become an issue for me to focus around him? Glowering, I locked the door and turned on the water. I'd have to do something about this... there was no way I'd let myself actually start developing _feelings_ or anything.


	21. Focus

**Focus**

 _*Kenshin's POV*_

It did become a habit, and it was one she very vocally fought me on. Had she been entirely honest with me, I might have even listened to her enthusiastic claims of being just fine, but I knew better. It was clear in the defeated slump in her shoulders, the way she dragged her feet, the constant yawning, and the glazed over look in her eyes when she thought I wasn't looking.

Finals Week was made to destroy students' souls, and I wasn't going to let her suffer through it alone. With Megumi going to every study group that gathered, Misao barely able to get away from her internship and her own studies, Aoshi working nearly every moment he was awake, and Sano refusing to subject himself to any more time indoors than he already was, I knew Kaoru saw very few people outside of work.

And whether she realized it or not, something in her eyes gleamed back to life each time she sat down at the kitchen table and soaked in the sight of fresh, steaming food. She would lick her lips hungrily and even sniff at the air a bit before smiling to herself. Then she would catch me gazing at her and color would rise to her cheeks each time as she thanked me.

So while she stuck to her stubborn _'I'm an independent woman and I don't need your help'_ routine each time I showed up at her door, I knew that deep down she really was grateful.

The fact that she got flustered each time I snatched her notes away to help quiz her was an added bonus.

"So," I began, not entirely certain how to breach the subject on my mind. "How goes the studying tonight? You look particularly stressed."

"Stress enhances dendritic arborization and length in the basolateral amygdala."

I paused my stirring just in time to see her forehead hit the countertop in front of her. I quietly closed the distance between us as a groan tore from her lips. Wrapping my fingers around her shoulder, I gently urged her upright again and carefully kept my eyes trained on hers.

"It'll be alright, Kaoru," I assured her. "Just keep in mind that it's only a few more days. The three of you will be done on Friday and we will all go out to celebrate."

"Right," she said, blinking the world into focus. "Friday."

"Also… I'm not quite sure how to say this," I said delicately, watching her carefully and pinching myself discreetly to repress my smirk. "But um… I believe you would want me to inform you that you've left some clothing out-" I didn't have a chance to finish the thought before she whipped her head around and narrowed her eyes on the bright blue bra that was resting on the back of her sofa.

She squeaked immediately, jumped up, dove for the lacy item, and stuffed it underneath her shirt before running into her bedroom.

"Not. A. WORD!" she shouted to me, hearing my laughter fill her home.

* * *

 **A/N:** That was a legitimate line from my Psych of Learning course. x.x

And how horrifying would this be? Haha... poor Kaoru. No worries... she'll get him back. :)


	22. Assassination

**A/N:** Some violence.. Just trust me on this one... :)

* * *

 **Assassination**

"Kaoru," Sano breathed. His voice was supposed to come out placating and soothing, but he flinched at the edge that very clearly tapered off at the last syllable. "Please think about this, alright? Let's not be rash."

"You brought this on yourself," she whispered sinisterly, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Please, Missy-" his appeal was cut off as she edged closer to him. Real panic set in, and his eyes widened as the weapon in her hands continued to draw closer and closer. "I'm sorry!" he yelled, and her advancing figure slowed to a stop. Encouraged, he barreled on. "I'm sorry I tricked you into letting Kenshin in. It was entirely my fault, but I did it to help you! You always get sick after finals week, and look- you're not sick this time around! Please, Kaoru- you know I'd never do anything to hurt you!"

"You have a point," she conceded after a moment. He could hear in her tone that she was contemplating and weighing each of his words, and that made him feel marginally better... But a blink later, she was advancing again.

"Wait- what are you doing?!" he cried.

"You still manipulated me into letting him inside in the first place," she told him calmly, aiming the blade directly at him.

"No, damn it! Put the sword down!" Unheeding of his demand, she giggled insanely and continued to move closer to him, successfully backing him closer and closer to the cliff. "Please!" he squealed, but she ignored his prayer and swung the weapon downward. The laugh that echoed within his ears as the blade sank into his shoulder was something he'd never forget, and he shouted in agony as she drove it repeatedly into his defenseless form. "PLEASE, KAORU!" he shouted, watching blood splatter everywhere and eyeing his rapidly declining health bar. "I've spent hours-"

And then he died and the scene faded, regenerating in the form of a menu screen.

Sano stared at the computer monitor for five heartbeats before he narrowed his eyes and pulled the microphone closer to his lips. "You'd better find a fucking _fantastic_ hiding spot, Missy," he seethed, and then ripped off his headset and threw it onto the desk. He could still hear her giggles up until he grabbed his keys, and then there was silence.

Oh, she had better run _really_ fast…


	23. Popcorn

^.-

 **Popcorn**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

It was with every ounce of energy I had that I kept my laughter in check. My lip was raw and abused and I imagined that I even tasted blood, but that was of no consequence. All would be worth it in just a few minutes…

Kenshin finally plopped down beside me with a bowl of popcorn and cheerfully offered me the honored first handful. I obliged and as I chomped down happily on the delicious morsels, Kenshin eased back and pushed the _play_ button on the controller.

The movie started.

Loud bangs of the intense music floated through the room.

Kenshin gripped the bowl carefully.

And with my hand that had been inconspicuously buried underneath a pillow the entire time, I twitched my thumb forward on the plastic button gleefully.

Hidden by the darkness and loud speakers, the little youkai doll I had attached to a remote-controlled car went unnoticed until it sped directly in front of Kenshin.

As a horrified "ORO!" danced against my ears and a rain of popcorn descended upon my head, I finally released my lower lip from between my teeth and happily enlightened him. "Four-three."


	24. Snares

**A/N:** YAY Chardonay! Haha... but for reals. Just wrote this in the past hour and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. AND it's one of the longest drabbles yet. We makin' le progress ^.^ GET READY FOR DAT FLUFF!

This one follows directly after _Popcorn_.

* * *

 **Snares**

 _*Kenshin's POV*_

She'd gotten me with the blasted youkai- that much was certain. And annoyingly, I actually found myself marginally impressed by her fortitude and her defiance of social convention. Most people would automatically consider certain things 'off limits'. For instance, I would have imagined only Sano was bold enough to use my childhood fear against me...and only because we'd known each other since we were kids.

But Kaoru proved me wrong and even went so far as used two _different_ youkai to attack me. Two. That meant she actually went out to purchase or borrow the representation of my worst childhood fear _t_ _wice._

I hadn't been hesitant with the upcoming scare I had arranged for her in the first place, but now I was downright _eager_ for it to happen. She was the one who brought the fire to a game that could have remained marginally innocent and carefree, and I was not about to let her get all the memorable scares. She deserved this one, and I couldn't find it in myself to feel guilty over it.

The movie was a comedy with a fair share of awkward parts and laughs galore. It was one I really enjoyed, but I was too distracted to pay full attention. All I cared about tonight was one scene, and I waited for the rest of the movie to hurry by. I forcibly began gnawing on the inside of my cheek as I recognized the scenes leading up to it. My eyes remained carefully trained on the television, but in reality I was paying attention to Kaoru, who was seated innocently beside me.

As the magical scene brightened up the screen, I saw her pitch forward slightly, certainly unaware of how her anticipation affected her movements. It was nearing the climax of the movie; all the characters were coming together, and everything was building up for a glorious revelation. Kaoru absently pulled at the strands of hair framing her face as her eyes remained faithfully glued to the screen- and then she was screeching and flinging herself backward against the back of the couch.

Yeah- I probably should have been ashamed for tampering with the movie and splicing in a disgusting close-up of a cockroach scampering around in a jar. I _would_ have been ashamed for using _her_ own worst fear against her, but all decency had flown out the window a long time ago. Instead, I felt a bubble of glee building deep within my chest as she covered her eyes with both hands. "Four-four."

"You _ASS!"_ she screeched, ripping her hands from her eyes and turning to face me. Her eyes were still squeezed shut, but that didn't stop her from launching herself at me. Her aim was remarkable, and with hands quicker than ever, she sought out my sides before I could think to defend myself.

"No-!" I choked, feeling laughter swelling up and stealing my breath. "Kao-ru! Stop!"

Her only reply was a devious giggle, as she suddenly ran over a sensitive spot that made me involuntarily spasm beneath her. The giggle turned maniacal as I floundered wildly. She'd attacked me at the perfect angle- it allowed her a great advantage over me and since it had caught me off guard, my hands were momentarily stuck by my sides.

Fortunately, I was able to free my arms within seconds, but I already felt tears building in my eyes as loud bursts of laughter left me. Like steam escaping a hot oven, my own attack was merciless and shock was evident on her features as my momentum propelled her onto her back, giving me the upper hand.

I couldn't tell if the pink collecting on her cheeks was from her own laughter from my tickles, or if she was blushing because of our proximity, but I loved it either way. She was beautiful- especially as she began howling out in a fit of giggles.

Feeling particularly bold, I grinned and leaned down closer to her face. Her cheeks darkened even more- making my chest swell in victory- and her eyes widened and her fingers slowed minutely. Lowering my voice, I whispered out a caress of sound, "Admit defeat."

The words made her blink in shock several times, and I could have danced at the obvious disappointment that shone in her gorgeous sapphire eyes. She was expecting me to say something entirely different, and was _disappointed_ that I hadn't said it. As much as I did want to say something else- or rather _do_ something else like finally kiss her, _damn it_ \- I knew that it was still too soon. There was no way in hell I was going to ruin everything by moving in too quickly.

Instead, I twitched my fingers again, successfully making her squirm and laughter to bubble back to her lips. The disappointment was replaced in a heartbeat with panic as she realized I had the upper hand. "NO!" she squealed suddenly, and in my surprise, she twisted her leg around mine.

I was helpless as the world spun around. One second I was admiring her beautiful mirth, and the next I was flat on my back on the carpet. " _Owowowow,"_ I hissed, squeezing my eyes shut instinctively. I heard a soft 'sorry' but she was already mercilessly tickling me again before I could fully comprehend what had happened.

I tried wriggling free, but doing so drew my attention to the fact that she was actually _straddling_ me. Feeling heat rush to my face and also in a completely different direction, I blurted surrender before I could stop myself. "Fine! I give up!" I shouted, belatedly hoping she would think my defeat stemmed from the tickle fight and not something else entirely.

"Hnn…" she gloated, sitting back and crossing her arms across her chest victoriously. "Serves you right for that one." I silently praised the gods when she promptly clambered off of me and offered me her hand to pull me upright. It was _far_ too soon for us to bridge that particular topic.

"Yeah, yeah," I conceded, rising to my feet and hopefully playing the convincing part of someone who had just been defeated. "You have yourself to thank for blowing past all taboos, though. Everything became fair game once you used a youkai doll _the first time_." Sending her a pointed look, she melted into giddy grin, and I felt my insides warming drastically as if they'd been sitting out in the sun all day.

She may have won the tickle battle, but I could see that there was something more slowly building behind her eyes each time she looked at me, and I would have happily lost a thousand tickle wars if they were the key to her dropping her 'no dating friends' rule. We were already very close friends, and I could see that she was slowly becoming more and more comfortable with dropping her final barriers around me. For that, I felt like the true victor.

Shaking myself from my thoughts before she got suspicious, I smiled at her and moved over to the wall. My hand found the switch that turned on the fan, and I waited for the air circulation to help cool me off.

I inhaled deeply and found it odd that she was grinning more deviously than before. Half a heartbeat passed before something the size of my fist flew in my direction and barely missed my face before spluttering into the wall. "What the f-AH" I shrieked, cut off by a second thing flying down from the ceiling. I leapt out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by a slimy-looking slug joining the first one on the floor. It was clear after looking at them that they were fake, but the damage was done.

"Six-four," she gloated, actually proceeding to dance around the coffee table. Her movements were absurd and clumsy and adorably awkward and I couldn't fight the smile that twitched against my lips. "I hid them on top of the fan blades," she grinned, flailing around in delight. "They flew off when you turned on the fan," she giggled deviously. "You fell right into my trap. And since you got scared both times, I get two points."

I didn't fight to suppress my laughter at her cheekiness. It shouldn't really have counted as two, but I was too impressed that she'd somehow clambered up to my ceiling fan when I couldn't have had my back turned for more than three minutes. And besides... She was right. Right into her trap did I fall.

I wondered at how much she suspected me of falling into another trap she'd unintentionally laid for me, but realized it didn't matter. She'd already caught me. Now it was only a matter of catching her in return… and I had a strong feeling that she couldn't avoid the snares laid out before her feet for much longer.


	25. Laptop

**A/N:** I'd like to thank Kitsutenekochan for pointing out that I didn't exactly clarify how Kaoru got two points last chapter. She hid two fake slugs on the fan blades, and both of them flew at Kenshin, which caused him to panic slightly. Normally, he probably would have said that it should only count as one, but he just gave her the extra point because he was impressed that she managed to climb up there in the first place. Sorry if that was unclear!

* * *

 **Laptop**

 _Kaoru's POV_

"I'm really sorry," I told him, feeling genuinely apologetic. He'd been genuinely excited about us getting dinner together- something I'd been _highly_ suspicious of, even without his abnormally high level of excitement. "I swear my professors are taking out their angst on us. We're only four days into the semester, and we already have two hundred and seventeen pages of reading to get through in the next three days."

"You really don't have to explain," he assured me. "I understand completely."

I eyed him carefully, not entirely trusting his calm attitude. It may have just been a gut feeling, but my gut feelings were _never_ off. "Seriously. Want to see the articles we have to read? There's one on leisure activities, which really is a cool concept, but the professor's explanation as to what it has to do with I/O is kind of farfetched."

Without waiting for his consent, I flipped open my laptop which was sitting on the coffee table. The screen turned on automatically, and I watched him carefully, never taking my eyes off him as I typed in my password. Three seconds passed before the screen brightened, signifying that it was starting up. His smile was easy and wouldn't have raised red flags, had it not been so horribly out of place with our conversation. I glowered at Kenshin and turned back to my desktop. I'd show him-

" _Oh-_ _ **what**_ _in seven hells-!_ " In horror, I stared at my once-beautiful screen that was now marred with thousands of shattered splinters etched boldly across in all directions. It was shattered. My laptop was _shattered_ beyond repair right at the beginning of the semester and there was no way I had enough money to pay for repairs or a new laptop and what if my work couldn't be saved- _what if I had to redo my entire thesis, oh_ _ **gods!**_

"Oooo…" Kenshin hissed, clearly sympathetic to my rising panic. "It looks like it's cracked."

I screeched three different strings of profanities before I could regain control of myself, and once I did, I very remotely realized that Kenshin was snorting, as if this were _funny._ "What the _hell_ do you find funny in all of this?!"

The squeak in my voice must have been his undoing, because he promptly gave up all pretense of empathy and laughed outright. The jovial crinkles underneath his eyes were identical to every other time he successfully scared me, but there was no way in hell he would have willingly destroyed my computer just to gain a point…

"Six-five," he giggled, and I wondered if he had lost his mind.

"Are you kidding me!?"

Ignoring my high-pitched outburst, Kenshin calmly reached over to the wireless mouse and clicked twice... and the spider cracks vanished. "I took a screenshot… of your desktop… and changed your background," he choked through his laughter.

I huffed and crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes even more as I stared at my miraculously restored screen. My glare intensified into sharp daggers not because I was angry at him, but because I could never admit how brilliant the idea was.


	26. Diversion

**A/N** : This is one of my favorites. ^.^

* * *

 **Diversion**

Unbeknownst to her, Misao had been a diversion, and to Kaoru's delight, _no one_ suspected. Kaoru mentally congratulated herself for her patience. It was _not_ easy to bite back her mirth, let alone keep her expression clear enough to not alert Misao, who was remarkably attentive.

Time to engage phase four.

"Hold up- I have to pee!" Kaoru expertly exclaimed, and without giving her friend a chance to reply, Kaoru ducked back inside and sauntered through the apartment toward Kenshin's bathroom.

There, in the privacy that came with the locking of a door, Kaoru threw her hands across her lips to stifle her giggles. Once they'd subsided, she reached underneath her deliberately baggy shirt and pulled on the tape as quietly as she could. She could feel her belly burning in an angry fit of rage, but she merely patted some cool water from the faucet on her abused flesh to abate the sting.

Once the tape had been peeled away and discarded, she situated the treasure in her hands. The fur on it was remarkably lifelike, and the colors were vibrant and deadly. Had she been the target of this attack, she would have vacated her bowels in an instant.

Clutching her hand suavely behind her back, she opened the bathroom door and strolled out.

Her victim waited innocently on the couch, facing the television. His back was turned to her… and he was delectably unsuspecting.

Grinning from ear to ear, Kaoru skipped over until she got close enough. Lifting the fraudulent tarantula the size of her outstretched hand, she danced on her heel for a moment before releasing it onto Kenshin's lap.

 _Seven-five_ _._


	27. Uncle

**^.-**

 **Uncle**

 _*Kenshin's POV*_

I rubbed my hands down my face and puffed out a heavy breath, making my bangs flutter upward slightly. "Come on…" I muttered miserably to my empty apartment as my mind went through the painfully familiar circuit again. I was five points away from winning my dates with Kaoru, and she was three points away from giving me what would surely have been a mortifying hairdo and getting Hiko to embarrass me halfway to Kyoto.

At first, she'd been smug about her lead, but then her next slew of scares didn't quite scare me, and her taunting faded into determined silence. I had launched my own barrage of attacks on her, but she was equally unaffected. Those failed attempts led into a full two weeks of stalemates. Two full weeks of getting painfully close to winning another point, only to be let down at the last minute.

Kaoru hid tiny firecrackers underneath my toilet seat that were activated with pressure. That same night, I had snuck a fake bug into her dinner, but she saw right though that. She hid a plastic snake underneath my sheets. I left creepy voicemails on her phone. She threw a stuffed mogwai at me at midnight. I tried reusing my bluetooth speaker to broadcast weird cries. She hid stuff underneath my couch cushions that wriggled when I sat down. I strategically placed buckets of flour atop her door that fell over when she walked from one room to the other.

The list went on and on, but there was no gain for either of us- just a good deal of effort and crushed hopes. That's not to say they weren't all good attempts. She would have gotten me with a lot of them, had I not already been kind of expecting them- and she said as much for my plots against her. Solid startles, but since we were both a bit on the edge and waiting for each other's' scares, the anticipation burned through any actual scare factor and ruined the prank.

I was all ready to be over it. It was beyond maddening to spend so much time planning, only to have my efforts culminate in the form of her smiling slyly when I was expecting her to shriek like a child. Clearly we'd built up our immunities, so the only solution I could think of was to back off for a bit. She'd wear herself out by being on the lookout, and after a while she'd have to get used to nothing happening. Operant conditioning at its finest.

I had a few aces up my sleeve so it was hard for me not to activate them, but I _needed_ to win this, so hastiness was not an option. I just needed to plan two more scares, and then I'd launch them all within a day or two of each other. She'd go from a bunch of ineffective attempts to weeks of complete silence to getting pelted out of nowhere with enough scares to propel me to victory before she even had a chance to retaliate.

She was _not_ going to win, damn it!

The knock on my door was unexpected. I'd just finished dinner and had planned to spend the rest of the night plotting like one of those crazed villains from the movies and manga.

Rising to my feet, I flattened my hair, which had gotten matted in the back from throwing my head on the headrest. I looked through the peephole in the door and was pleasantly surprised to find Kaoru standing on my doorstep.

Unlocking the door, I pulled it open and smiled at her coyly. "Couldn't stay away, could you?"

Her laugh was genuine, and I grinned as I ushered her inside and closed the door behind her. "Don't get any crazy ideas, Red." She kicked off her shoes and sauntered toward my kitchen with the confidence of an empress. "I was bored, and the others are busy. Do you have any of those brownies left?" A pause. "YES! YOU DO! BEST DAY EVER!"

I snorted at her, unable to hide my grin. Over the past few months she'd gotten more and more comfortable with barging in unannounced and raiding my kitchen. I'd always appreciated my skills in the kitchen, but never had I thought they would work to my advantage like this. My kitchen was like a bright beacon to Kaoru, and I wondered if she was even aware of how often she stopped by to raid my stocks.

I grinned to myself. Seemed my countless nights of barging into her place to cook for her had left their mark, and even the span of a few days without coming into contact with some kind of meal or pastry I had whipped up, left her antsy.

She was already mine before she thought to consider being threatened, and I'd been feeling warm about it ever since I realized two months ago. Even if this bet business fell through and she won, I'd still have the upper hand because she was already gravitating toward me. Only a supremely stupid mess up on my part could change that, and I was far too careful to allow myself to be stupid now.

And she still had _no clue,_ which was by far the best part. She'd realize all too late.

Grinning, I moved toward the kitchen and watched her break a brownie square and shove half of it into her mouth. Her eyes closed blissfully for a moment as she chewed, and when she opened her eyes, she locked in on me and blushed slightly. This time she swallowed before apologizing and threw the second half to follow the first.

I rolled my eyes, though my grin never left, and quickly got a glass and filled it with milk before handing it to her, just in time for her to swallow the second half. Kaoru gratefully took the glass from me and chased down all traces of brownie before casting a huge grin at me. "Thanks."

"I was wondering when you'd come raid my dessert supply," I laughed, unsure if she knew it was only partially a joke.

"Ha ha. You're hilarious. Do you still have those cookies?"

"You ate the last ones the last time you were here. Two days ago. Remember?"

"Oh," she said, grimacing. "Yeah. I thought you'd maybe have made more? You know- since I raided your entire stash and all." I couldn't tell if she was slightly bashful or if she was being devious again. She was always devious when she was trying to trick me into baking for her. And she knew it always worked.

Heaving out a sigh and rolling my eyes at her, I strolled forth into the far cupboard and pulled forth a baking sheet. "Never thought I'd be a princess' personal baker," I commented.

Kaoru's laugh rang through my apartment and filled my chest with warmth. "You're totally not my personal baker," she asserted. When I cast a disbelieving look at her, she broke into a grin. "Seriously. If you were, I'd never be lacking pastries, yet here I am without cookies." The statement was immediately followed by her stuffing another brownie into her mouth- full, this time. Her smug look dared me to retort, but it was just as well. I could only laugh in response anyway.

Kaoru waited until I was cracking eggs into a bowl before she sauntered off toward my living room. A moment later, the tv was switched on, her favorite music station was selected, and she was back beside me as I mixed all of the ingredients together. "What kind are you making?" she asked in unrestrained delight. I chanced a look at her, and had to bite my lip at how beautifully her eyes were glimmering. Her lips were pulled upward in pure joy as she eyed the dough fly around the bowl beneath my spatula. "Ohmygod, you're the best!" she squealed, throwing her arms around me hastily.

I was certain she didn't notice my slight pause in stirring because once she locked in on the bag of chocolate chips, she released me. "Seriously," she said, diving at the bag and pouring some into her cupped hand. "You're the best. This is amazing." The raw chocolate chips were tossed into her mouth, and she closed her eyes again in bliss.

I spooned out the batter onto the cookie sheet and as I slid the pan into the oven, I heard a knock at the door. Both of our heads flew in the direction of the door, just in time for the knock to turn into a bang. Probably Sano. "I'll get it," Kaoru offered as I transferred the doughy bowl to the sink and washed my hands.

There was a moment of silence, then the door opened and Kaoru exclaimed, "Oh! Sorry. Um… Kenshin?"

I rushed forth, drying my hands on a dishrag, but stopped short in the middle of the hall. There, in all his hulking glory, was Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth. "M-master!" I spluttered, feeling my heart beat threateningly against my ribcage. "What are you doing here?" I winced even as the words were leaving my mouth, and I could swear he grinned at me before I threw my head down in a bow. "I-I mean, welcome! What brings you to Tokyo at this hour?"

By the time I looked up, the grin I thought I saw had melted into his usual indignant smirk. He had shed his boots and was already halfway through the hall before Kaoru fumbled to shut the door. She sent me a worried glance, and I tried to silently reassure her without being too obvious. Hiko was looking directly at me.

He found his way to the table without much delay and after he had situated himself upon a particularly plump cushion, he looked at me expectantly. "Well?"

"Oh!" I stuttered. "Right!" Spinning on my heel, I went straight to the bottom cabinet that I reserved strictly for alcohol. None of it was mine, of course. There were two bottles of liquor for whenever a few friends decided to stop by, but otherwise the cabinet was wholly dedicated to storing at least one bottle of premium sake at all times. Exactly for situations like this. But as I swung the cabinet door open, I froze.

Hiko seemed to catch onto my hesitation, because his voice called out threateningly. "Don't tell me you're so inconsiderate to not keep a bottle on hand at all times. I thought I taught you better, boy."

Feeling a rush of panic slide through my veins, I closed the door quickly. "Um- no. I mean, yes. I'm just… I was looking in the wrong cabinet," I stalled, knowing full well that there was no other place I would have put the sake. Despite this, I found myself darting around my kitchen for any trace of a large bottle. The panic was settling down into a full-blown attack before I heard a voice floating from the living room.

"I'll get it, Uncle Hiko," Kaoru called out jovially.

My head swiveled around like a wound-up spring. There she was, _deliberately_ strutting toward Hiko with the cheekiest grin I'd ever seen sprawled across her face. In her hands was the missing bottle of sake I'd been tearing my kitchen apart for, and as she reached the table, she pulled forth a small cup and filled it expertly before offering it to Hiko.

"Thank you," he intoned after taking a cautionary sip. "Seems like all I taught you was in vain, boy." He took a bigger sip, effectively downing the contents of the cup. He held it out to be refilled, and Kaoru hastily obliged him. "Having your guests serve other guests? My predecessors would be ashamed."

It sounded like an insult. His expression _looked_ furious, as if it had been an insult, but Kaoru's smile broke out into a wolfish grin and my breath froze in my lungs. Slowly, she turned to me and started laughing. "Eight-five, in my favor."

Spluttering, I took a few steps closer. There was no way… there was _no way_ she had orchestrated this!

Laughing, Kaoru turned back to the giant before her, and she adjusted herself deeper into the cushion she was perched upon. Her fingers were somehow breaking another brownie in half as she met Hiko's eyes- _when had she even gotten that!?-_ "How were your travels, Uncle Hiko? I hope all was well?"

"Yes- just fine. You have another cup in your sleeve. Bring it out and pour some for yourself. We have a lot to discuss."

Kaoru obliged him by pulling not one, but two new cups from her sleeve. "A lot to discuss, Uncle Hiko? Like what?"

Hiko snorted as he watched me clumsily seat myself on the end of the table between him and Kaoru. "Like the fact that this idiot," he thrust a thumb in my direction, "is still single. Can you believe it?"

That clearly had not been the tunnel Kaoru had anticipated going down, and her eyes expressively widened and her fingers clenched more tightly as she poured sake for me. "I... um..."

"It's unnatural," Hiko continued brazenly as Kaoru awkwardly passed the cup to me. I was glad that at least she also felt a portion of my discomfort. "For one thing, the male anatomy-"

"Master!" I cried out, leaping up from my seat and effectively upturning half my sake onto my hand. "Please! This is no conversation to be shared so openly!"

He cast a sidelong glance at me before downing his sake and holding it out for Kaoru to refill. Her hand was shaky as she reached out, and even though that was a small consolation, I relished it greatly. Held onto it like a lifeboat, and didn't once feel remorseful that she was forced to sit in on Master's insane rant. She was clearly the one who had summoned him, so she could sit through whatever awkwardness he contrived to entertain himself.

"Mmm..." he contemplated. "Perhaps you're right for once. Idiot. This topic may be too harsh for a female's delicate ears." I let out a sigh, and her shoulders visibly slumped in relief as she handed him a fresh cup. "You know when I was your age, I had already found myself _quite_ familiar with the females, if you catch my drift."

Kaoru hastily reached out, upturned her cup past her lips and refilled the cup, looking more flushed than ever. She may have gotten a point on me, but she had _not_ expected to suffer for it, and I figured I might as well enjoy this as much as possible. There was no telling when Hiko would flip the one-sided conversation back to embarrass me, so until then, I'd have to enjoy her awkwardness while it lasted.

"-sometimes even three females at a time, which is no task for the feint at heart-"

My cup hit the table a second after hers did, and she refilled them both expeditiously.


	28. Brownie Fountain

**Brownie Fountain**

Sweat dripped down from my temples, sliding along the curve of my cheek until it reached my chin. It was a feeling that most women would have abhorred and made a fuss about, but I felt my lips curve into a smile instead. I deserved to feel the cool wetness. I sure as heck worked hard enough for it, after all.

The dark-haired monster before me snorted in laughter suddenly, easily evading my attack. "Hey- have you found a new chocolate stash?"

I felt my steps falter slightly in disbelief, and he took the opportunity to swing at me. I easily ducked out of the way and wacked his arm for good measure.

"You know I can always tell when you find a new chocolate source. It's brownies, isn't it?"

"You _miscreant_!" I shouted, horrified that he not only _noticed_ , but he also _knew the source without so much as guessing_.

Dark eyes twinkled at me in glee as he laughed. It was a sound so jovial and happy and _loud_ that it echoed against the wooden floors and high ceilings. "I knew it!" he gloated. "Brownies! You found a brownie fountai- OOF!" he wheezed as I slammed the tip of my bokken into his stomach. If he hadn't been wearing the padded protection, he would surely have been down for the count. As it was, he stumbled several paces backward and clutched his stomach as he glowered at me. "Don't blame me for it!"

"You best shut your mouth right now, _little brother_ ," I hissed, knowing he took great offense to any kind of belittling. I grinned as he shot toward me- a move I easily parried- and watched as he spluttered in renewed anger. "You're too predictable, Yahiko. I know I taught you better." I knew he'd bristle at that, too. Sure, he secretly loved me and deeply cherished how much of the Kamiya-Kasshin I'd taught him, but at the surface, he always boiled when I brought up the fact that he was where he was because of me. And that surface rage was what I was banking on. Maybe next time he'd learn to keep his face hole shut.

Although to be honest, I was beyond proud of him. And the runt knew it. My father had adopted him into our family a few years after my mother had died, and since then, he'd worked extra hard to make us proud. I was several years ahead of him in my training when our father died, so I'd not only taken over the dojo, but his training as well. He still joked just as much, but after that night, a fierce gleam stared back at me each time we trained.

It started out as just training. Me teaching my adopted brother everything I knew about our father's style. I don't know when it started, but it took me several months to realize that Yahiko was serious. He _wanted_ to learn the style more than anything, and with me as his only true source of knowledge, he pestered me relentlessly until I agreed to show him all I knew.

Though it remained unspoken between us, we both knew within a year of our father's passing that he was wholly dedicated to becoming the next predecessor in the Kamiya-Kasshin style. He wanted to master the style and then turn around and teach everyone he could get his little hands on. He wanted to make my father proud. He wanted to make _me_ proud. He wanted to prove to the world that he really did come from a line of great samurai and he really was worth more than the pitiful looks he'd gotten during the two years he'd been homeless.

It took me another full year to finally relent and agree to let him take the name of Master. Since then, he'd amassed a following of students, far more than was necessary to financially support our father's dojo. I took the hint and followed my dreams off to university, but I never allowed myself to stray too far from the dojo.

He really was cut out to be a swordsman… but I'd never tell him that. Especially when I could still knock him on his rear every time I stopped by. He tried to resort to mockery- _brownie fountain talk_ \- to gain the upper hand, but it never fully worked.

"You're never gonna get a boyfriend at this rate!" he taunted again, rising up once more to challenge me.

"I don't _want_ one!" I shouted furiously, diving after him.

His laugh deepened. "I don't believe you for a second! You just turned five shades darker! You're _blushing_ , sis!"

My furious jab missed him by a hair.

"You even have someone in mind!" he gloated, and then burst into a fit of giggles as he ran from my attacks. "You only ever get this mad when I'm right! Haha! I'm right! I'm right! I'm righ-"

His victorious shouts were cut off with the room abruptly falling into darkness. The sound of our scuffling across the floor came to a stop, and I felt my shoulder droop in irritation. "Did you forget to pay the electricity bill again?" I deadpanned.

"What? No!" he defended a bit too quickly.

"Yahiko…" I let my voice trail off threateningly, knowing it would make him cringe. "You have a responsibility to the studen-" My voice died in my throat as I heard a scuffle at the far end of the room.

"What was that?" he whispered.

It was too dark to see anything. Too dark to see my hand, had I taken the time to pull it up to my face. There were no windows in the dojo, and the door was completely shut, so no light penetrated the darkness.

Or rather, the door _had been_ completely shut. I could have sworn I'd just heard it slide open and shut. The only thing that ruled that out was the speed in which it was done- no one would have been able to move through it that quickly.

"Kaoru, there's someone in the building," he whispered again. This time his voice was warped into a mixture of defiant protection and childish fear.

I rolled my eyes, gripping my bokken tighter. "Hush," I whispered, reaching out blindly into the darkness and waving my hand around until my wrist smacked the side of his face. He hissed in pain, but I quickly grabbed onto his head and dragged him close to me. "Don't make a sound," I told him, whispering more quietly than I ever had before. "Stay here, and don't move a muscle." I felt him moving slightly- a nod.

Good. I released him and strode forward confidently toward the door that led into the outer hallway. Whatever idiot had decided to break in would be sorely disappointed that I was here to fend-

The sudden whisper of sound beside me sounded as alarming as it was surprising. I immediately whipped around, my bokken at the ready, as I froze. That someone in the building had turned into a someone in the dojo. Someone close. Someone who _had_ come in earlier, despite that speed being impossible!

The softest scuffle of sound to the right- I lunged, whipping my wooden blade down with enough force to knock a grown man out cold... but it only whooshed through air.

I paused again, waiting.

A masculine throat cleared itself not five faces to the left, but by the time my sword was there, the person was gone. Again.

Then there was a voice directly in my right ear. "Kaoru," it whispered clearer than anything. A small shriek of terror escaped me as I swung around, again only hitting air.

I waited again.

Strained my ears for the slightest sound…

And when I heard nothing for a full minute, I truly began to panic. The fact that the intruder _knew my name_ meant that this was no longer a random robbing. Now it was personal. And this person was _fast!_ This was not good!

There was another soft scuffle off to my one-o-clock. I didn't waste a second, and was rewarded with a would-have-been-glorious _ooof,_ had I not known the voice to be Yahiko's. "Watch it, will ya?!" he chastised.

"Shut up!"

A second later, I felt a breath blowing deliberately against my hair. And again, by the time I whipped around, the intruder was gone. How could he even flipping see?! And why was he toying with m-

A pair of arms were suddenly thrown around me, and I was yanked backward into a solid chest as a screech bubbled forth from my lips. A dark chuckle reverberated against my back as I drew breath into my lungs. "DAMNIT, KENSHIN! WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Nine-eight," he whispered into my ear. "In my favor." A second later, the lights turned on and he released me. His hand appeared again, just enough to steady me, but quickly pulled away as I threw my bokken full-force in his direction.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" I shrieked again, momentarily blinded by the sudden light. I squinted through the fuzzy haze as I rounded on him. "There's no way! I never even told you about the dojo! There's no way you could have known about it!"

A singsong voice called merrily through the door, and a second later, it whooshed open. "Unless he had help!"

 _MISAO!_

Impossible. It was impossible to decide which of them to turn my hatred on first. Because now it was obvious that Yahiko had been in on it the whole time. Why else would he have just stood there like a useless idiot? And THAT was how he'd known about the brownies!

But Misao was my best friend, and she'd now turned on me _twice!_

In the end, I spun around to face Kenshin's horribly satisfied smirk. This time he had witnesses, so I couldn't even try to deny the number of points he'd gained on me- the _heathen_. And now it was all too clear to me that he'd been holding back the whole time! This was clearly one of the aces up his sleeve, and now I was properly horrified that he already had his final scare in motion. _Damn it!_

"YOU WON'T WIN!" I shouted into the dojo. The smirk that met my glare was enough to catapult me into a fit of rage, and it was in that moment I figured out _exactly_ how to beat him. Slowly, I allowed my anger to tingle away from my fingertips, and after a few seconds, my lips curled into a devious smile. "I'm winning this, Red, if it's the last thing I do."

The grin he shot me in return was a clear dare. I knew I had to act quickly. And I knew _exactly_ how to get my victory.


	29. Karma

**A/N:** I wrote this before I even posted the first chapter. This was one of the originals, and it still makes me all giggly. XD

* * *

 **Karma**

They were too close now. Too close and there was _no way_ she was going to let him win. She'd never surrender. But because he was unflappable, Kaoru knew she had to resort to some drastic measures. The extremes no longer mattered. This was _war._

She'd done a few things that the miko on her shoulder was not too pleased with… even if the other shoulder was howling in glee.

Kaoru had called Sano out for drinks, and had proceeded to get him drunk enough to not notice that when she dug into his pocket to get his wallet, she also pulled out his keys. After she gave the bartender Sanosuke's card to pay for his drinks, Kaoru had ducked into the restroom, where she'd proceeded to take a single key off the ring.

Then she'd dragged his slurring self to her car and listened as he complained about the fact that she hadn't even gotten a single drink. "Iss a total let down," Sano informed her, pointing an angry finger at her to emphasize his point. "You were'apposed to celebrate wi' me."

"I know, Sano," she said soothingly. "I promise to make it up to you tomorrow night. We can celebrate then, ok?"

"But we're 'posed ta cel'brate ta'night!"

"Look. Even though you're one of my best friends, I really like Megumi, too. I'm happy for you- I _really_ am- but I can't find it in myself to celebrate you getting to second base with her. In fact, that's not something I ever needed to know, and I kinda wish you'd never told me… let alone in any kind of detail, you perv."

For the first time in hours, he looked genuinely confused. It was almost as if something clicked deep down in that rooster head of his. "Wait," he said, pulling himself upright and turning to me blearily. "Ya said ya were celebrat'n too." Then his face contorted. "My bess frien' lied ta me!"

"Not exactly," she told him evasively. "I am celebrating tonight. All thanks to you."

"Oh."

"Mhmm. I'll tell you when you're less drunk."

"Kay."

After she'd dragged him home and tucked him into bed, put a huge glass of water on his nightstand, and after she locked up after herself, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver key that glimmered in the light of the streetlamps. Served her right for denying Kenshin's offer of giving her a key to his place in case of emergencies. She'd given one to him two months ago because he'd agreed to save her life by getting the fifteen page paper she'd written and forgotten at home in her sleep-deprived delirium. She'd never asked for it back because she trusted him fully, but there had been something strange about her having a key to his place, so she'd stubbornly denied it the couple of times he'd offered.

A foolish mistake, all things considered, because it would have made tonight so much easier, but Kaoru chose to focus on the positives. Sure, she'd spent a couple of hours boozing Sano up to get his key copy, but it was almost better this way. Kenshin would _never_ see it coming. Grinning evilly to herself, Kaoru tucked the key safely back into her pocket, got in her car, and drove off.

Fifteen minutes later, she found herself with her ear pressed against Kenshin's front door. She knew that he wouldn't be home for a bit longer, but it was worth double checking… just in case. When she heard the nothingness she knew would greet her, she happily shoved the stolen key into the lock and let herself in. Darkness greeted her, and she cackled into the emptiness.

Twenty minutes later, she heard the front door creak open and then shut firmly. Shoes were removed. There was a bit of shuffling. A light turned on, and she could see it shining through the rice paper barrier of her hideout. He went to the left- his bedroom- and then came back out. She watched his shadow approach, and she was just about to jump out, when the closet shoji slid open of its own accord and Kenshin was directly in front of her.

She didn't have to do anything. Just stand there and fail at trying to swallow her laughter as his expression changed from untroubled nothing-else-can-ruin-this-night to petrified what-the- _****_ \- are-you-doing-here?!

His terrified shout interrupted his cheerful humming, and that half-second was among the greatest in Kaoru's entire life. It was the harvest of hours of hard work- _days_ of planning- and it had all come into fruition so perfectly. It was the culmination of very careful preparation that had pulled this off. Very subtly getting Sano hyped about their night out. Having no problems stealing his copy of Kenshin's key. Finding and giving Misao an excuse to take Aoshi to the movies that night. Promising Megumi to take Sano off her back long enough to let her study in peace. _Plus_ having the foresight to keep even smaller things in mind. Like hiding her shoes and not wearing any perfume that would give her away. There were no issues sneaking in, she had easily covered her tracks, and the normally very vigilant Kenshin hadn't even noticed until he had gone to reach for a towel.

It was perfection in every sense of the word.

Kaoru just didn't know that perfection would be a term that would leak into other scenarios… such as the one where Kenshin would decide to undress _before_ grabbing a towel for his shower. Or the scenario in which after he delightfully squealed in terror, he would stay still long enough for Kaoru to comprehend that he was completely naked.

Bare buns and all.

There was only half a heartbeat after Kenshin shouted out that Kaoru's own shriek filled his large apartment.

The instinct to cover her eyes took an eternity too long to kick in, but when it did, her hands flew upward. Sense finally seemed to sink into his muscles, as well, because he chose that same moment to dart out of view.

Fortunately, she'd kept her eyes raised and didn't see anything private. The paleness and lack of color below her line of sight clearly indicated that he was not wearing anything, but thankfully she hadn't seen anything. Just known that nothing was there to cover him. Oh gods. Oh gods. Oh gods...

"Nine-nine," she spluttered, heart racing so quickly that she almost felt sick. The words had been running through her head all night, and that was the only reason she was able to orate them. Only because of the repetitive swirls they had embarked on relentlessly within her mind… otherwise she would have stood there like a mannequin. "The score is nine-nine." Stumbling out of the closet, she threw her arm up and shoved her eyes into the inner side of her elbow as she felt her way to the front door with her other hand.

"I'm so sorry," she blubbered over and over, almost breaking into hysterics over her embarrassment. "Sorry. Sorry."

Just as her hand touched the handle of the front door, his voice called from behind. Rasping, with clear hints of awkwardness. She could almost _hear_ how red his cheeks were. "Actually, the score is ten-nine, in my favor."

The words were a bucket of ice water on her flaming humiliation. "NO!" she shouted, spinning back around defensively. She'd gone through _so much_. He would NOT have the victory for her efforts!

He snorted, as if her quick reaction had washed away a large part of the tension. "I put boxers on. You can open your eyes."

Kaoru almost didn't believe him, but then she remembered it was _Kenshin_ , the embodiment of honesty. She forced her eyes open and confirmed that he had, in fact, pulled on some boxers. And sweatpants. Or maybe just sweatpants, as she had no way of telling if he was wearing boxers underneath them.

The sight was just as relieving as it was terribly disappointing.

And she wanted to clobber herself for even thinking that.

Oh, Kami… and now she was openly staring. _Look away, you idiot!_

She urged herself to focus on the part of the situation that should have really mattered. "Don't you _dare_ try to tell me that you won! The score is nine-nine, **damn it** , and I WILL defeat you!"

"Kaoru," he said, beginning to take wary steps closer, as if she were a deer ready to bolt. Which she might as well have been. Her hand was still very close to the door handle, and she was ready to run at any given second. Her fingers twitched in anticipation. "You did frighten me quite thoroughly, which earns you a point." For half a heartbeat, she had the audacity to be smug. "However," he continued, "I also managed to unintentionally startle you, which earns me my victory."

The smugness vanished. "NO!" she shouted, unheeding of his neighbors or the late hour. This battle was far more important than their lost sleep. "You just said that I was 'startled'! Since that didn't count before when I _startled_ you on the street a few weeks ago, it can't count now! Nine-nine!"

"Then I take it back, since saying that you were startled is completely foolish," he retorted smoothly. "I was putting it politely. You were sincerely frightened, so inadvertently, I won."

"No! Nonononononono! Nine-nine!"

The smirk that brushed Kenshin's lips upward was sinful. He shrugged slyly. "I suppose we could call in a vote from everyone else. We could just explain the situation and they'd more than happy to-"

"NO!" Kaoru yelled, trying to process her own mortification herself. If Misao and Megumi found out, they'd never let her hear the end of it. Ever. And they'd make her replay the memory of him standing there completely nude until her cheeks exploded in the heat of her embarrassment- "FINE! You win!" Maybe if she just surrendered gracefully, he might go easy on her. Maybe he'd be merciful and never tell anyone how he actually won.

His smirk twisted into a wolfish grin. "I look forward to our nights out. I'll be in contact with Misao so she can let you know how to get ready."

Kaoru stammered incoherently for a moment before spinning around and yanking open the door with all her might. After she'd dragged it shut behind her again, she leaned on the wood and closed her eyes tightly. Misao...

Misao would be her key out of this mess.


	30. Excalibur

**Excalibur**

"You alright?" Sano asked, casting a concerned glance in Kaoru's direction.

Unable to answer him right away, she kept her gaze on the colors glimmering before her. Reaching over to one of those shimmers, she wrapped her fingers around it, pulled it to her lips, and threw it back until it disappeared. Misao had been _useless._

"Yeah," she finally answered.

Sano nodded. "Okay. Because you haven't ordered this many shots since you were an undergrad."

For crying out loud- of all times for him to be observant!

"I have something of yours, by the way," she said, smoothly changing the subject before downing another shot and reaching into her pocket. She presented the stolen key back to him as if it were Excalibur. "Your mighty sword, noble sir."

Sano made no move to reclaim the key. He didn't even show any hint of surprise that she had taken it in the first place. Instead, he shrugged and gulped down another sip of his drink. "Nah- don't worry about it. Keep it."

Faltering, Kaoru pulled her proffered hands back slowly and replaced her defeated gaze with fire. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

Sano laughed awkwardly. "I mean… you saw him bare-ass naked. If that doesn't deserve a key to his place, nothing does."

Her mouth opened and clicked shut several times before she could flounder a response. " _What?_ "

"He told me, Missy. Kinda wish he hadn't, since you're like a sister'n all." He took another sip. "But what's done is done."

"Right!" she glared. "What's done is done! I lost the damn bet, and I'm really sorry to have stolen his key from you. Honestly. It was messed up, and I really, _honestly,_ regret it, and that's half the reason I have six shots sprawled out here," she explained chaotically, nodding toward the miniature future hangovers. "I was going to make it up to you anyway, but now that I lost, I can up the ante. I owe you an actual night of drinking. Just- just take this and be done with it," she said, shoving the key at him.

"I don't need it," Sano replied, and then fumbled for a second before pulling out his key ring. He shifted for a moment before procuring a shiny new key that hadn't been there before. "Ken-man had it made for me today. Said somethin' about needing to replace the one you stole."

"I- _NO!"_

Sano took another long sip. "That's what started the whole conversation- but only because I forced it out of him. He was tryin' not to say much, but he was obviously replacing my key and you were the only one that could have taken it. He knew I'd find out one way or another."

Sano was right. There really was no way of hiding the truth.

"Congrats, Missy," Sano said, curling the keys in one hand and wrapping the other around his pitcher of beer. "And here's to me for not knocking him on his ass," he muttered before bringing the cold glass to his lips and chugging.

Kaoru felt that was as good a reason as any to make quick work of two of the shots. Cringing, she squeezed her eyes shut until the bitterness faded. Distantly, she heard Sano again. "Half the reason? What's the other half?"

"Huh?"

"Ya said losing the bet was only half the reason for you being a boozehound tonight."

"Oh," she grumbled, not pleased at all that he'd picked up on that. Winding her fingers around the fifth shot glass, she exhaled miserably. "The rest is for not being able to forget."

At the sound of Sano's revolted shout, the liquid burned down the back of her throat. And for a few seconds, heat curled around her throat and sparked downward into her belly, and she thought she was going to be just fine.

… Until someone slid into the seat next to her.

"What weren't you able to forget?" Kenshin's voice was so deceivingly innocent that the only thing stopping her from decking him in the face was reaching for the sixth shot and throwing it back.


	31. First Night Out

**A/N:** I'm super sick and stressed out of my mind and I have a million things that I should be focusing on... but still I'm here posting a chapter. Most would say I have my priorities backwards, but that's not the case. This fic is a huge stress-reliever and it makes me giggly. Plus your reviews make me laugh. Especially Kiryki's two chapters back (which I still laugh at that haha). I really want to thank everyone for their support in staying with me this far and for reviewing when you have a minute. You guys are the best!

But anyway- this is the moment you've been waiting for! Kenshin gets to finally bask in the glory of his hard-earned winnings! Bwhaha... poor Kaoru. Anyone want to place their bets on what the second and third nights out will entail? I bet you won't be able to guess. :D

* * *

 **First Night Out**

"Misao…" Kaoru cried, her voice cracking in unprecedented pleading. "Please. Don't make me do this."

To Kaoru's _extreme_ dismay, Misao had not been willing to be her way out of paying up on the bet. In fact, Misao was the one preparing her for the first night out… and nothing could be done to talk her out of it.

Her traitorous friend snorted, though it was apparent that she was enjoying every second of Kaoru's misery. "I'm not making you do this, and I'm not the one that made the bet in the first place. All I did was promise to help Red, and that's what Imma do."

"But you were _my_ friend first!" Kaoru whined as she dropped heavily onto her bed and watched as Misao set to work in tearing apart her closet.

"Exactly!" Misao laughed. "We're besties. And that means that it's my job to do everything in your best interest. And your best interest is to hook up with the flaming hot hottie that is head over heels for you."

"But-" Kaoru spluttered. "No! He's totally _not_ head over heels! He's completely right-side-up and not any of that nonsense! Don't be an idiot!"

Kaoru watched Misao spin around. Sapphire orbs clashed with aquamarine. "You're just too stubborn to recognize it for what it is. Look- I know you're still upset about what happened four years ago, but it's not your fault. You dated him and it didn't work out. That kind of stuff happens all the time. But the truth of it is that even though you two ended things on decent terms, they're the ones that bailed. You even told them that you would back off from the group so they could stick with us. You apologized enough. You suffered for it enough. It was their choice, so you have no reason to be punishing yourself over it. This is not the same kind of situation, alright?"

Misao sounded so uncharacteristically serious that Kaoru could do nothing but nod numbly.

"Kenshin is not like Enishi. Even if things somehow go to hell between you two, he's not the kind of person to let it ruin everything else." Then her gaze softened. "He totally wants you, boo. Between you and me, he's wanted to date you since before this whole bet came around."

" _What?_ "

"Yeah. The bet was kind of Aoshi's idea in the first place." She ignored Kaoru's horrified shriek. "And that bet was made like two months ago. He's been into you this whole time- he's not going to give up."

"But- _but it's my decision, too!_ " Kaoru finally spluttered, feeling her cheeks heating as realization sunk in. Sure, Kenshin had been a bit flirty with her, which could have been perfectly innocent and playful, but Misao's statement was like the fist of truth, and it washed over Kaoru like warm waves. That was _not_ something a best friend would lie about.

But even as Kaoru felt her heartbeat pound more heavily and a grain of shining hope glimmered to life within her, her mouth went into the defensive autopilot she'd been on for years. "Just because he won the bet doesn't mean we're suddenly a couple! So what if he likes me or whatever- that doesn't mean I like him as a potential boyfriend or anything!"

Misao stepped back toward the closet, but kept her gaze on Kaoru. "Deny it. Tell me you hate the thought of being his girlfriend."

Kaoru stammered for a few seconds- long enough for Misao to grin.

"Exactly," she stated, shoving her head once more into Kaoru's closet and shifting the hangars back and forth before emitting a light sound of victory. "Here we go," she said, spinning around with Kaoru's old dark jeans and a long sleeve, black top. They were possibly the least flattering things Kaoru owned. "Put these on."

"Wha- I don't… What?"

Misao grinned at her bewildered expression, clearly very happy that she was so confused. It meant that she hadn't figured out where Kenshin was taking her, and that knowledge made Misao brighten like the sun. "Well if I dress you here, you'll have a pretty good idea of where you're going, right? So he had the brilliant idea of giving you proper attire once you get there."

"No," Kaoru said immediately. "No. I'm not doing that. No."

"Chill," Misao laughed, heading to the door. "I already chose the real outfit. He'll have it ready for you when you get there." And then Kaoru was alone and glaring hatefully at the wooden barrier that suddenly separated them.

This was _bad._ He could have been planning to take them anywhere! He could have been planning a simple dinner or a nice dinner. A trip to a museum. The movies or a walk in the park or a play or- anything! Anywhere!

Realizing that she was working herself up into a mild panic, Kaoru launched herself from her bed and hastily changed into the dark clothing if only to distract herself. A moment later, she emerged from her room and spent the following ten minutes trying not to think about anything… which was much more difficult than when she was alone in her room. Out there, Misao was bouncing around merrily and when there was a knock at the door, she danced over to it.

With a final look back at Kaoru, she lowered her voice to say, "Trust me." Then the door was open and the redhead who had appeared in Kaoru's life four months prior stepped into her home with a cheerful gait and mirthful eyes. And to her extreme disappointment, he was also wearing dark jeans and a black shirt. Not only did that remove any potential hints of their destination, but he looked _good_. Like a hottie, even.

And damn Misao for pointing out what she'd been trying to ignore this whole time!

"Perfect," he grinned.

"You're horrible," Kaoru grumbled, shrinking self-consciously underneath his bright smile. It was one thing to suspect that he might have been flirty with her, but another thing entirely to know that he'd liked her for months and had been trying to coax his way into her life the whole time. Deep, deep down, in a part of her that she still refused to entirely acknowledge, she was thrilled and excited- but on the surface, she found herself glowering half-earnestly.

"You can tell me how much you hate me when we get there," he gloated- _actually gloated_ \- and offered out his hand. "You ready?"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, digging through her purse for a wad of cash and shoving it into her front pocket. Her phone was shoved into her back pocket, and then she was following him out the door. She locked up after the three of them left the apartment, and Kaoru determinedly ignored Misao's gleeful bouncing down the stairs.

Once outside, Misao bade them a _very_ good night, grinned at Kaoru's flushed cheeks and glare, and then skipped down the street toward her place.

"So where are we going?" Kaoru asked on the way to Kenshin's car.

"You'll see when we get there."

"Come on," she cried, deflating, and feeling very close to begging. "We'll be there in what- twenty minutes? You might as well just tell me now."

Kenshin's grin somehow widened as he opened the door for her. "Clever," he said, meeting her gaze, and delighting when she froze with one foot on the floorboard of his car. It was like she'd forgotten what she was doing- or even that she had been doing anything at all. "Very clever to try to get an estimate of the time it will take to get there. You'd be able to calculate the distance and narrow your thoughts down dramatically."

Kaoru blinked and bit down on her lip, clearly not pleased that he'd seen right through her. "Ugh… fine!" she pouted, and then realized that she'd been hovering half-way in the car. Choosing to ignore his cheeky smirk, she plopped herself down in his passenger seat and crossed her arms as he closed the door and made his way around the car.

The ride was filled with small talk about their day, and Kenshin didn't seem to mind at all that he had to pry details out of her. He knew that she was preoccupied on focusing on their route, and each time he took a turn or missed a road that would have led somewhere prominent, he saw her eyes flit back and forth as she silently recalculated where they could be going.

Some may have found her slight detachment to be rude or irritating, but Kenshin felt jubilant. Her distraction meant that she was nervous. Perhaps a mix of other feelings like excitement and happiness and anxiety, too, but overall, she was nervous. The way she kept playing with a fold in her old pants hinted at deep-seated anxiety, and it made little sense for her to be so worked up over a simple night out, unless it actually potentially _meant something_ to her. And that meant that he had a solid chance.

Finally, Kenshin pulled into a parking lot that was within walking distance of half a dozen potential restaurants. Kaoru's stomach clenched and she lost any appetite that had gathered in the time she'd spent getting ready. What if she made a fool of herself? What if he did something that made her uncomfortable? What if she accidentally mentioned what Misao had told her? What if he thought this was a date?

Her door was pulled open, and a hand was offered to her. Knowing that her feet were unstable, Kaoru accepted Kenshin's hand and tried to ignore the flutter of warmth the contact sent whirling around her belly.

Belatedly, Kaoru noticed the duffle bag resting on Kenshin's shoulder, and she wondered at how long she'd spent hyperventilating in his front seat. Their change of clothing must have been in there...

"Don't worry," he told her, deliberately not releasing her hand until she reluctantly met his gaze. Warmth and happiness met her eyes, and she felt herself calming almost instantly. "We'll have a great time, alright?"

"Yeah," she agreed noncommittedly.

He lowered his voice and leaned forward then. "And I won't even tell anyone that I won tonight. How does that sound?"

… _Huh?_

He broke into a hearty grin at the look of unfiltered confusion spreading across her face, and chuckled when his excitement became too much to handle. "Come on," he urged, clenching her hand a bit more tightly (denying her escape, _damn it!_ ) and dragging her happily beside him.

Breaking into a sweat, Kaoru flung her gaze in every direction, trying to mentally prepare herself to the best of her ability, but again, he kept taking all the turns that led away from the restaurants he could have been taking her to.

Oh no… what if he'd deliberately parked far away from the place, just to throw her off? The really nice restaurants and bars were a few more blocks away- what if they were going there!?

Abruptly, Kenshin drew to a stop and moved to stand directly in front of her. He released her fingers only to place both of his hands gently onto her shoulders. Trying to hide her panicked breathing, Kaoru kept her head turned slightly downward, though she desperately tried to gaze through her bangs to see where they were. They were stopped in a darkened entryway of an old building. All the lights were out, and a strangely familiar door had a sign on it that was a bit difficult to read without directly looking at it, but Kaoru thought it indicated the place was closed for the evening.

"Kaoru." His voice was soft coaxing, and she could actually hear the smile she knew was still in place. Mentally bracing herself, she finally looked up and met his eyes. For a few seconds, all he did was smile at her, and as he smoothed his left thumb back and forth across her shoulder tenderly, she realized that it wasn't so bad. His touch was calm and warm and _relaxing…_

Then he leaned closer until barely a handbreadth separated their chests. Kenshin's lips were suddenly close to her ear as he whispered, "I'm going to ruin you." As the words sunk in, he pulled back just enough to place his left hand on the small of her back in silent discouragement of her potentially escaping. He led her straight to the door with the sign on it, and hushed Kaoru's protests. "They're closed because I arranged it. This place is ours for the night."

He opened the door and they walked into darkness that was broken up by a light in the far end of the room.

"Shut up," Kaoru spluttered as realization dawned on her. Unaware that her gait had quickened slightly, she marched further into the room. She felt her lips kicking upward for the first time in hours. "You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all."

She spun around, feeling excitement bubble forth from her lips. "But… the change of clothes…"

"Misao lied. Your clothing is perfect. The only thing left of our outfits is in that room."

The confirmation made a giggle surge to her lips, and she launched herself at him, clasping her hands on his biceps as she met his widened eyes. "Come on…" His idea of a night out was taking her to play laser tag?

"I'm completely serious," he laughed, unable to repress his delight the wake of her giddiness.

"But… but I'm going to _destroy_ you!" she squeaked.

"We'll let the scoreboard tell us who destroyed who."

Kaoru, beyond overwhelmed, threw her arms around Kenshin and held him more tightly than ever before. "This is amazing!" she cried out before releasing him and dancing forward- not unlike Misao earlier. She closed her hand around the door handle on the far end of the room, which led into an even darker room illuminated only by blue and red lights. "I'm going to witness real Kenshin tears!" she gloated, and then laughed. "So _this_ is the outfit I was meant to change into tonight," she exclaimed, pulling one of the brightly-glowing blue contraptions over her shoulders. Buckling the sides together, she laughed again. "What's in the duffle bag?"

Kenshin finished buckling his sides before opening the zippers and revealing emptiness. The _sneak!_

"I'll have you know I've been doing this for the better part of a decade," Kaoru gloated, unhooking the plastic gun from the front of her breastplate. "Whatever fluke made you win last time will not help you now."

"I count on it," Kenshin grinned, appearing by her side. He nodded to the attendant who was hovering by the control knobs. Sounds from the adjacent room blared and Kaoru knew exactly what was being said, even though the recorded voice was muffled by the wall. "And this time, there's no one else in the way to interfere. It's just the two of us, so make every shot count."

Kaoru's cheeks already ached from grinning so widely. "I'll find some tissues for you to cry into when we're done here." Confident as ever, she kicked in the door, and sauntered through the archway before scurrying off to find one of her optimal spots.

Kenshin raised his laser gun and strolled through the door, casting the attendant a wide smile as he passed. "Thanks again," he told the bored teenager. The redhead stretched slightly. "Now you can witness true victory."


	32. Second Night Out

**A/N:** No excuses on my part. I've just been planning my wedding that's now less than a month away. Stress and I are intimately familiar with one another. The only thing I'm closer to at this point is coffee, which I legitimately fantasize about on a regular basis. I can't even tell you how close I am to crafting odes to the delicious stuff.

Bonus points to anyone who gets the musical artist reference tucked away in here.

* * *

 **Second Night Out**

**Kaoru's POV**

"How about that one?" Kenshin asked, turning so that his eyes met mine, and I hoped he didn't notice my throat bob up and down in a thick swallow. The way his eyes glimmered in joy and the way the left edge of his lip quirked upward slightly more than the other made it really hard to focus, and I was trying my hardest not to let him notice. He looked at me expectantly, and I blinked, realizing he was waiting for a reply.

"Sure," I blurted, not at all confident that he didn't hear the peculiar rise in my tone. It would have been more suspicious to say more, so I silently followed him into another queue.

The way the amusement park's yellowish lights glowed on his face complimented his excitement and his shoulders even rolled slightly in time with a song that was playing through distant speakers. It was like he belonged there in that moment of time, enjoying every second that ticked by. Nothing short of mesmerizing. "Have you been on this one before?" he asked after a moment.

Oh, crap… Where were we? I shifted my gaze as surreptitiously as possible and very nearly cursed aloud when I realized I couldn't see anything useful without turning. The following second of time was a furious debate of whether or not I should turn around. I could either answer and hope that it was the correct guess, or I could move my head enough to see which line we were in and give away the fact that I hadn't been paying attention…. Which would have meant I was distracted. Which would have led him to naturally ask what I was thinking of. Which I could _not_ handle because I'd have to cover up the fact that I was thinking of how happy he looked. And how nice his hand felt when it had been gently closed around mine when we got here. A half hour ago.

"Yes," I announced, curling my toes tightly in hopes that it was the right answer. I had a feeling it was, but the way his expression shifted made me hesitate. It took everything in me not to turn around. Forty-five degrees to the left probably would have been enough to see which ride we were waiting to board, but damn it all, the motion would have given me away and I was _not_ about to give him an excuse to remark on my absentmindedness. "One of the best rides ever," I offered boldly. He already looked at me suspiciously enough, so the added comment to throw him off my case was worth the risk.

I didn't fully realize I was holding my breath until he replied and I felt my lungs collapsing in relief.

"Mmm," he agreed. "It is fairly terrifying. Gets your heart pumping."

Damn right, my heart was pumping! I was two steps from losing my flipping mind, my heart was flailing around so chaotically! I couldn't handle the way his shirt clung along just the right curves of his chest and arms and made him look so cuddleable. Like I could just press my face against his chest and let him wrap his arms around me and cocoon me into blissful oblivion. Cocoon! That's how damn alluring his freakin' _shirt_ was!

And that wasn't even taking into account the way he'd been looking at me all night or the way he smiled or his throaty chuckles!

Only after a few seconds of prolonged eye contact did I realize that he was waiting on something. What did he just say? Wait, wait… he mentioned the ride being terrifying. Just agree with him so he doesn't ask questions! "It is pretty scary," I told him, secretly pleased with how well I articulated the words, despite the mind-numbing way his smile was widening. To avoid the risk of melting or cocooning, I forced myself to look away… only to realize exactly which ride we were waiting for.

I could have strangled myself, and there certainly was no need to turn back to know that he had successfully caught me. No- not caught. He'd knowingly backed me into a corner. Damnit all!

"You mean scary for Sano, right?"

"Of course," I replied, putting more confidence into my tone than I felt. Of course we just had to be in line for the one ride that I loved more than anything. The one ride that was immortalized in the form of a photograph of me and Sano in my apartment's entryway. The one ride that was a hundred times more fun than scary! And I'd just admitted that it was scary, even though there was photographic evidence that I typically giggled throughout the entire ride!

"It's terrifying for most people," I told Kenshin, silently pleading for him to believe me, because if he realized at any point that I'd been distracted, he would have taken that to mean that _he_ was the one distracting me. And then he might do something delightfully _stupid_ like hold my hand again or put his arm around my shoulders or kiss me or something. Which would have been awful. Horrible, even. "Most people scream their faces off on this ride. I've even seen some people wobble off with tears streaming down their faces. But they're just wimps. Are you a wimp, Kenshin?"

The last jab at his pride was not supposed to make him laugh, and I had to clamp down on my lip to keep from grinning along with him. Damn him and his damn contagious smiles!

"I'd like to think that I'm not," he admitted. The line shifted forward, and we automatically stepped along with it. "In fact, I'd be so bold as to place a bet on which of us screams more."

"That's a joke of a bet," I told him bluntly. "You know you'd lose- why would you even say that?"

Kenshin shrugged slightly, leaning back onto the railing behind him. "Well, you did just admit that this ride is 'pretty scary.'"

"And you said it's 'fairly terrifying'!"

He neatly skirted the topic and laughed. "I bet you dinner that you're going to scream more."

"Fine!" I said haughtily, crossing my arms across my chest for good measure. Something about the prospect of betting against him again didn't sit well with me, but I refused to let him think I would wimp out on my favorite ride. "I request you cook chicken marsala again!"

His eyes gleamed in the light, and I felt myself falter for half a second. Why did _victory_ flash across his face at that? "Alright. And because I'm going to win, I'm going to particularly enjoy your chicken parmesan." I felt my eyelids narrowing in on him and his bubbling laughter did nothing to help the situation. He _would_ remember my stupid failed chicken parm and my stupid promise to make it again… and to make it edible.

AUGH!

The taunting continued all the way until we reached the roller coaster car. Once we were buckled in and had relinquished all hopes of escaping, his hand drifted down confidently and his warm fingers wrapped around mine. Startled, I looked over and met his eyes as his thumb stroked the back of my hand tenderly. I felt my mouth drying, but somehow refrained from cracking. "What are you doing?"

"Holding your hand," he stated so casually that I was legitimately rendered speechless. When he realized I was gaping at him, his lips curled upward sinfully and he elaborated. "As a comfort from the scary ride, of course."

The car lurched forward then, successfully covering my indignant squeak. I wiggled my fingers in a pathetic attempt to get him to release me, but he held on fast as the car wove around the track briefly. After a moment, it began its jarring ascent toward the sky, jutting us forward one loud clink at a time. A few dozen clinks brought us to the very top of the metal track, and the cart maneuvered to the very edge, practically making us look straight down at the ground for a solid three seconds before the brakes released and we were sent hurtling toward the earth.

Kenshin and I studiously refrained from screaming, but I felt the giggles that always surged forth curling at my lips. As the laughs broke forth into existence, I leaned to the left and to the right, anticipating each curve. When we were about halfway through the ride, I noticed that Kenshin still had yet to scream. I hadn't screamed, either, but I refused to allow a draw.

Thinking quickly, I drew my hands closer to my body until my right arm was flush against my backrest. There was just enough room for me to stick my fingers underneath his bulky restraints, and I waited for the right time-

NOW!

My fingers shot outward and latched onto his side, which made him emit a startled shriek.

At the same time, I saw something large and dark, and a millisecond later, I felt it collide with my face. Instantly, I knew it was a massive spider. _A spider._ A giant spider had landed on my _face!_ I tried in horror to swipe the beast off of myself, and only after a few seconds did I realize that Kenshin was laughing harder than ever. The whole ordeal must have taken less than ten seconds, but as I calmed, I heard my own screeches replaying back in my head and I felt my cheeks redden furiously.

Kenshin was still laughing hysterically as the cart pulled up to the unloading area. The horrible miscreant had a damn fake tarantula in his pocket the whole time, I realized as the restraints loosened. Pushing them away with a stream of curses, I scrambled out of the cart and away from the ride.

I had to get to the photo counter before him. I had been too distracted by the spider to see when the cameras had actually flashed, but his timing had been fantastic. _Almost as if he'd planned it._ The chances of the photo being taken at just the right time were too high, and I knew even as I turned the corner that I'd have to bribe the photo attendant to delete it.

My blood ran cold as I felt a presence rush up from behind. It was far too quick to be real- one second I was sprinting like there was a rabid dog chasing me, and the next second, I was wrapped in warmth and dragged to a stop. He'd even cradled my head to keep it from being whipped forward. For the briefest of moments, I felt rage boiling up, but then the scent of sandalwood that was purely Kenshin washed over me and I forgot why I was supposed to be upset. The next thing I noticed was warmth all around me and a soft pressure as if… as if I was being cocooned-

Oh, gods, I WAS BEING COCOONED! And it was every bit as glorious as I'd fantasized it to be! He was wrapped around me so perfectly that I could barely remember that I was supposed to be struggling against him. I was supposed to try to break free, but it felt too right for me to even think of trying to move away. It was like a relaxing hot spring. Why would I want to flail away from that?

His arm at my torso shifted slightly, coiling more securely around me, and the hand that was at my forehead moved backward just enough to allow his fingers to ease back a few errant strands of hair and curl them behind my ear. Then his lips were beside my ear and he was murmuring something- "I think I won."

What- my acquiescence? Surely he knew without a doubt now that he'd successfully crumbled my well-fortified walls into rubble; otherwise I'd be thrashing against him. But as it was, all I could do was close my eyes and relish the cocoon.

It took a second or two longer than it should have, but my eyes flew open and I finally shook myself from my stupor. He claimed to have won. Yeah- he might have won something on a more intimate level between us, but the claim was double-sided. He was also referring to the recent bet that I would be more afraid than him.

That realization brought me to my senses and I renewed my struggles against him. I'd cook the damn chicken parm, but hell would start weaving flower baskets before I'd let him get the photo.

I somehow managed to free myself and with the photo counter in sight, I ran faster than ever. But as I got closer, the photo attendant, who was wildly searching the crowd, locked his dark eyes on me and busted out laughing. "HEY!" he called out between his giggles. "You have to see this- YOU!" he shouted the last word, refocusing his gaze behind me. On Kenshin, no doubt. "You're a genius, man! I've worked here for almost a year and this is the funniest picture I've ever seen!"

Oh. _Shit._

"You don't say…" Kenshin replied, smug grin in place as he strolled past me. I hadn't even realized that I'd stopped in my tracks.

"Yeah, dude! Look at this thing!" He clicked a couple of times and then the accursed photo was displayed behind him on a giant monitor.

In the photo, my eyes were opened as wide as possible in horror, and my lips were curled back so far that I heard my screams replaying in my ears. My hands were madly flapping as effectively as they could while being restrained, and my body was even curled in my seat away from the stupid heifer that turned out to not even be real.

And of course, the Kenshin in the photo actually had tears streaming down his cheeks in his mirth. _Tears._

I was jarred from my horror at the sound of movement, and immediately jumped into action, shouting at Kenshin to put his wallet away and at the attendant to burn the computer to a crisp.

"It's already printed," the attendant laughed. "If you weren't going to buy this, I would have bought it for you."

Money was exchanged but Kenshin hesitated just before he was handed the picture. "On second thought, can you hold that until tomorrow? It runs the risk of being destroyed tonight; I'll have to get it on my own in the morning."

"Sure thing, man. Whatever you want," he said, choking up in a fit of giggles again. "I'll be here all day tomorrow. I gotchu."

"Thank you," Kenshin said with a small bow, and my protests were silenced as he wrapped his right arm around my waist and led me away. "Don't worry," he said to me, coiling his arm more securely around me. "The picture could not be more perfect, but I'm focused on a far more important victory."

It felt silly to deny my attraction to him anymore, so I huffed quietly and crossed my arms across my chest. If being cocooned was the price to pay for his victory, I couldn't find much at all to complain about.


	33. Third Night Out

**A/N:** Soooooo... I got married three days ago? Probably one of the most legit reasons to vanish for a month, I guess. Hah. This totally means that 90% of my stress is overwith (YUUUSSSS!) and I actually have _time_ to do stuff again. It's going to be beyond weird to come home from work and be able to choose what to do. I'm so exciteddddd! WRITING IS IN MAH FUTURE!

* * *

 **Third Night Out**

"You're such a child... stop making faces," Misao chided as her curling iron snatched onto another sliver of ebony hair, tugged gently, then curled and tightened until the heat source reached the base of Kaoru's scalp.

Kaoru glared at the dark haired perpetrator. "Oh, please… because this wasn't at all your fault."

"Of course it wasn't," Misao grinned, meeting sapphire eyes through the mirror. She waited a few moments before pressing down on the curling iron's handle a few times and releasing another perfect curl. "I may have helped him out a few times, but you have yourself to blame for actually getting scared. Honestly, it's kind of a shame that he beat you of all people. You used to be great at pranking people." Misao studiously ignored Kaoru's outraged protests before releasing another fresh curl. "But in the end, he won and that's all there is to it. After tonight, the final part of your bet will be settled and if you really are an idiot, you can go back to the way things were."

"Just because he won doesn't mean I'm obligated to date him!" Kaoru hissed, all too aware that Kenshin had arrived ten minutes prior and was waiting in Misao's living room with Sano and Megumi. Kaoru thought it felt suspiciously as if they were all there to send her off like parents on prom night and it made her stomach churn in anxiety.

Misao ignored Kaoru's comment, generously applied hair spray, and then drew back to observe her work in the mirror. Kaoru took the opportunity to gaze at herself, as well. Her hair was curled to perfection, her lids were coated in dark mystery, and her lips were painted in a dusky pink that was somehow playful and sensuous at the same time.

"You've been single for _years_ ," Misao announced softly. Her eyes took on a spark of determination as they locked gazes again in the mirror. "It's about damn time you put an end to that."

Kaoru, unsure of how to reply, numbly allowed Misao to lead her to the living room. At the sound of the door opening, Kenshin spun around to face them, and his lips actually parted as he drank in Kaoru's appearance. For a moment he was stunned, but then he pulled himself together and as his eyes met hers, he grinned sinfully. Vaguely, Kaoru heard Megumi and Sano saying some nonsense in the background, but the only sound that her ears cared to interpret were her furiously thumping heartbeats.

Then Kenshin was moving toward Kaoru and her fingers were grasped within his. "You're beautiful, Miss Kaoru."

A glare instantly darkened her features. "I thought we had already discussed this ' _miss_ ' business."

The answering smirk was enough to make her glower, but distantly she realized that he had only been trying to lighten the air between them. And damn it all, it had worked like a charm. She realized her muscles were more relaxed than when she'd emerged from Misao's bedroom and some of the tension had even fluttered away. The only difference was _him_ , damn it, and he _knew_ exactly what effect he'd just had on her!

"If I may be so bold as to say," he said, taking care to lean close to her ear, "Tonight will forever live in your memories as the one of the greatest nights of your life."

"That _is_ a bold statement," she told him, unsure whether her fluttering stomach or urge to laugh was stronger. It sounded far too much like a cheesy pickup line, but his gaze was at least partially sincere. What was he up to?

Kenshin drew away half a step, but kept hold of her fingers and squeezed slightly. "It's entirely warranted. All you have to do is trust me."

"What are you doing!?" Misao popped up beside them without warning. "Go already! You have reservations!" And within a minute, the pair found themselves kicked out of Misao's apartment.

The abrupt change in atmosphere sent Kaoru back into her previous state of mild anxiety, yet somehow she managed to lock in her panic until they reached Kenshin's car. He opened the door for her and she mechanically stepped in, beginning to hyperventilate as he rounded the car. "We totally don't have to go," she blurted as he got in and closed the door behind himself. His hand paused midway to the ignition and he met her eyes. "I mean, Misao got a little too excited and told me where you were taking me. Seriously- we don't have to go to such a nice restaurant."

He offered her a warm smile, dropping his keys in his lap before grabbing her right hand in both of his once again. The habit had emerged ever since the beginning of the second night out, and Kaoru couldn't find it in herself to genuinely protest it. Instead, she found herself feeling warm and happy from the contact, despite the butterflies that came along with it.

She'd been hyperaware that he would very likely choose that night to confess his feelings for her. The way he'd been acting toward her and Misao's crazed claims both pointed toward something significant happening tonight, but Kaoru had thought she'd have more time before his admission. However, the intensity of his gaze as they locked eyes and the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down sent blaring alerts in Kaoru's mind. NO! She'd _very_ unintentionally moved up his admission!

"I have a confession," he finally acknowledged, and his fingers squeezed hers lightly, effectively silencing her before she could voice another protest. "I had other plans for tonight."

"W-what?"

"I knew you'd enjoy a quick dinner over something drawn out, and I respect that. I may have given misinformation to Misao, but I promise it was for the best. I never meant for her to go crazy getting you ready, but I guess that was my fault for not anticipating her reaction. I'm really sorry that you both went so far out of your way… but in a way, I guess her enthusiasm only helped us in the end."

"What do you mean?" Kaoru choked out. It wasn't what she'd been expecting, and that both relieved her greatly and sent her into a frenzy, trying to figure out what he would have been planning.

"I thought of what would make you happiest. There were a few options, but one of them stuck out to me as the best. Do you trust me?"

She hesitated for a second, thinking about the man sitting beside her and gazing at her with excitement brimming along his pupils. She knew he would never intentionally hurt her, and as she went over possible scenarios that would require trust, she couldn't deny that she did trust him. "Yes," she finally said.

"Perfect," he grinned, running his thumb along the back of her hand and quite possibly _knowingly_ sending gooseflesh sparking across her skin. "Then hold tight." He withdrew his right hand, started the car, and awkwardly shifted into drive before pulling out of the parking spot with one hand. His other never released hers.

When they pulled to their final stop and Kenshin unfastened his safety belt, she felt a grin creeping across her lips.

"Frozen yogurt?"

"You did say that there is never a time when any sane person is not in the mood for frozen yogurt."

"I did say that, didn't I?"

"You sure did. Are you sane?"

"I suppose I am," she laughed, opening the door and stepping out.

They made quite the pair, dressed far too nicely for frozen yogurt, yet their expressions were so eager that they somehow looked like they were meant to be there every night.

They got their respective treats, walked to the nearby park, and sat at one of the benches. Kaoru couldn't help but notice that it was the same bench she'd chosen the night that she'd introduced him to the best frozen yogurt in town.

"Thank you," she told him as she happily licked at her spoon.

"If we would have gone to a nice restaurant, you would have been on edge the whole time. I thought you would enjoy this a bit more."

The remark was lighthearted, definitely not meant as a jab, but Kaoru still felt guilt spreading across her chest. She realized he'd changed his plans because he knew she would be overly anxious, and she felt awful. Other women would be over the moon if given the opportunity to dress up and dine at a place with dishes so exotic that the names were hard to pronounce. "I'm really sorry… I'm just not used to this."

He moved his gaze over to her, and she automatically met his eyes, nearly choking on her own saliva. How could his eyes have been so tender? She felt like her heat was about to leap out of her chest just from the way he was looking at her! "I have to admit something else," Kenshin said.

Kaoru froze at the words, her mind reeling back to the panic she felt in his car. What else could he have admitted? That he actually didn't like pecan? No. This was it. This was the moment he would tell her how he really felt and she'd have to tell him if she felt the same way or not…

"The plan for tonight was not to go to that restaurant. I will take you there one day," he met her eyes, "but for tonight I had another, far _better_ idea."

Kaoru blinked at him, uncomprehending. "What idea?"

"Revenge." He allowed the singular word sink into her awareness and she had just enough time to process it before he continued. "Sano and Misao helped me attain my victory, and to do so, they worked against you. I figured that more than anything, you would enjoy the opportunity to scare the pants off of them."

"Are you kidding?" she spluttered, quickly shoving her free hand over her lips. Her spoon sat long-forgotten in the yogurt as she stared at him, disbelieving.

The embarrassment she'd felt rising up as a result of her outburst had left her rosy cheeked, but his smile eased away the tension in her shoulders. "Megumi and Aoshi are in on it. Megumi has agreed to set the stage. Aoshi is still stuck at work, but he will be on his way home any minute. He can also help distract them."

"What are you planning?" she asked, not realizing that in her excitement, she'd jumped forward and was literally perched on the edge of the bench, facing Kenshin.

"I have a few options that are laid in place, but since it's your revenge, you ultimately have the honors in deciding. You can use what's already there or you can figure something out on your own. Regardless of what you do, though, they won't see it coming. They're certain that we're out having a nice dinner."

Kaoru couldn't believe the easy smile that was lighting his face, but she already felt her own lips curving deviously. "Are you seriously helping me exact my revenge?"

"Seriously," he grinned.

Her hand that was holding the frozen yogurt had been absently descending until it was lying on the bench, entirely forgotten. "What do you already have in place?"

Kenshin's eyes glimmered insidiously. "Well, Megumi is keeping them at Misao's apartment, so we can employ something there, or we can have her move them somewhere else. We can set off the fire alarm to Misao's apartment?"

"That's too serious," Kaoru commented, already shrugging the suggestion away. "And not really the kind of scare we'd need."

"We could have Megumi deploy Plan R, which is installing tiny packets of red dye underneath the faucet taps. It would thicken the water and turn it red whenever they use the faucets. It would look like blood."

"That's a good option," Kaoru cackled eagerly, her eyes distantly envisioning their terror. "What else do you have?"

"Your remote controlled youkai gave me the idea to rig some of the electronics-" he cut himself off as her grin exploded into a full-blown laugh. "That one?"

"YES!" she giggled. "Yes, oh man- that's perfect!"

"Okay. Here's what I've already done…"

* * *

An hour later found the devious pair lurking in the shadows of Misao's apartment. Making the most of the bathroom window surreptitiously left open by Megumi, Kenshin had snuck in, made sure the coast was clear, and at the cue of Megumi's high-pitched chortle, he and Kaoru ducked into the spare bedroom. It didn't take long for them to activate their plan, and within moments, they heard Misao's blender randomly start whirling angrily.

"WHATTHEHELL?!" Sano's voice echoed through the apartment. Because the cracked bedroom door didn't have a clean view of the living room, Kaoru was left to imagine their reactions… and she could all too clearly picture Sano leaping backward and away from the kitchen.

"What is it doing!?" Misao's high-pitched squeal followed shortly.

"Honestly," Megumi answered dryly. Her next statement came from father away, as if she'd gone into the kitchen. Then the desperate mechanical gurgling stopped short. "Don't you know it's unsafe to leave appliances plugged in when you're not using them? And wasteful of elecricitEEEE!" The sudden screech trailed from one end of the apartment to the other, only barely topping the abrupt sound of the furious popcorn machine Misao had received three birthdays ago. It sounded like it was grinding up a handful of spoons. "What the hell is up with your apartment?!" The popcorn maker's blaring gurgle was cut short, followed by Megumi's high-pitched voice darting away from the kitchen.

With Kaoru's well-timed button-pushing, the television behind the trio blared to life, and the suddenly full-blast volume threatened to drown out their screams. "WHATTHEFUCKISHAPPENEING?!" Sano shouted.

The front door burst open a moment later, reverberating brazenly against the wall and sounding threateningly as if were going to break off its own hinges. Misao's voice trailed toward the door, squealing Aoshi's name.

An uncharacteristically panicked Aoshi rebuked them all. "Haven't you been watching the news?"

"Wh-what?"

"No time- first we have to unplug everything electronic. I'll explain after." There was a moment of complete silence. "NOW!" and then there was a mad rush of footfalls and electrical cords being ripped out of the walls and shouted panic.

"Kitchen is done!"

"Bathroom, too!"

"Here, too!"

"Sano and Misao- you two get the guest room! Aoshi and I will get the bedroom! Hurry!"

"Right!"

Then the door that had been partially shielding Kaoru and Kenshin from the chaos was thrown open and the two barreled into the room. The light switch didn't work when they jammed their fists against it, and in their panic, they sufficed with feeling around the walls of the darkened room, squinting from the sparse light afforded them by the hallway light… until that was cut off as the door was suddenly pulled shut behind them.

"Sano- what the hell?!"

"That wasn't _you_?" he screeched back.

There was no hesitation before they both flung themselves against the freshly shut and locked door, pulling desperately at it in the darkness.

"Did you hear that?" Sano whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

In their distraction, Kenshin had snuck closer to them, flipped on a bright flashlight toward the middle of the room, and illuminated a figure dressed in a black cloak. It was rushing right at the horrified duo as their screeches sliced through the air.

A mechanically deepened voice cackled back at them. **"This is the price traitors pay."**

Sano continued shrieking while Misao's features tightened from horror into suspicion. "Kaoru?" The lithe woman groaned loudly in frustrated embarrassment. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

The door behind her clicked unlocked and Sano sprung to his feet, whipping the door open, only to find himself face to face with Megumi, who was clutching her sides as peals of laughter flowed from her lips, and Aoshi, who looked smugger than any of them had ever seen him. "What the hell?!"

"Both of you intruded on a bet that was between Kaoru and Kenshin," Aoshi explained. "It's only fair that she have a chance to repay you."

As his words sunk in, Misao's laugh was anything but innocent. She turned to each of them and narrowed her eyes into thin slits that promised retaliation. "This is the beginning of a _war_ , you hear me? WAR." She thrust her finger at Aoshi, pinning him with a glare of fire. "That includes you, Polar Bear!"

It took several minutes for Sano's and Misao's embarrassment to fade enough for them to be coherent, and it took just as long for Kaoru's, Kenshin's, and Megumi's laughter to quiet down and mirthful tears to stop flowing. That was when Aoshi took the opportunity to shamelessly, yet somehow inexpressively, gloat about how he'd tinkered with the appliances. Kaoru explained that she had a universal remote that was the cause of the haunted TV. Kenshin, clearly the one behind the lights not working, refused to divulge his secrets. He did, however, insist that he and Kaoru head back out, as he owed her a proper dinner.

The two of them giggled all the way to a pizza place down the road. Ignoring the strange looks they got as they spluttered their orders, Kenshin paid and they slid onto a bench outside as they basked in the cool night air and the victories that surrounded them. "You're not so bad, Red, you know that?" Kaoru grinned.

"I am pretty great," he answered immediately, which only evoked an unladylike snort from Kaoru. She playfully swatted his arm and they broke into another fit of giggles, choking out their favorite parts of the night.

 _The look in Misao's eyes!_

 _Sano damn near peed himself!_

 _Haha… two more seconds and he would have torn down the door!_

 _She's going to maul us in our sleep!_

The streetlight illuminated his cheeks and parts of his forehead in an amber glow, and moonlight twinkled in his eyes as he told her they should both change their locks, just in case. And he was beautiful. He was so at ease. So free. So happy. The way his lips curved upward was sexy and the way his nose crinkled slightly as a result was adorable. She could barely stand it anymore- sitting a few centimeters away from him was suddenly completely silly. His ruby hair spilling around his shoulders and over his gray button down was too enticing. Why weren't her fingers wrapped around his collar? Why wasn't she feeling the silky strands that swayed across his chest?

A bell dinged loudly, making both of them jump and flip their gazes over to the door behind Kenshin. The teenager that had taken their order brought out their fresh pizza and handed the box to Kenshin, thanked them for their business, and shuffled back inside.

"My place or yours?" Kenshin asked. Lilac eyes danced as they met hers. He shifted the box from one hand to the other, securing his fingers along the edge more firmly.

"Yeah," she breathed, unable to stand it anymore. _Screw it!_

Brazenly taking two steps forward, Kaoru reached up with one hand and buried her fingertips in the scarlet hair at the base of his scalp. Her other hand clenched around his bicep, and then her mouth was on his, pressing lightly against lips so soft that she actually felt her lungs shriveling in her racing chest. She could feel him stiffen underneath her fingertips, but before she could even think to doubt him, there was a dull clatter and then both his hands were cupping her cheeks tenderly, as if silently pleading to never break contact. And she didn't think she could. One hand remained on her cheek, but the other slid slowly upward and into her hairline as his thumb stroked her cheek affectionately.

It was only the sound of the door bell ringing again that ultimately startled them enough to open their eyes and sway back slightly. Sapphire drank in the sight of a completely dazed Kenshin, who was clearly mentally scrambling to comprehend what had just happened. Three seconds of locked eyes passed before he tightened his hands against her cheeks and nape, drawing her back and smoothing his lips over hers once again, pressing dozens of affectionate kisses on her, as if he'd been parched his entire life and she was his first taste of salvation.

He only pulled away once he felt her legs quivering, and his grasp shifted so that one hand was settled securely on her waist. The other hand was still firmly planted on her cheek, drinking in how glazed over her eyes were and how warm and red her cheeks were. Looking at his lopsided smile made her chest swell and she felt like there wasn't enough air in the world to fill her lungs. Nothing had ever felt so right... so wonderful... and her cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so widely.

"More perfect than I could have ever imagined," Kenshin breathed, just loud enough for her ears to caress the sounds delicately to themselves. "Kaoru."

Spluttering from the warmth pooling in her abdomen and from the haziness fogging her mind and drooping her eyes, she told him the first words that coherently came to mind. "I… I think you dropped the pizza."

The last thing she expected was a laugh to tumble from his lips, but it did, none the less. "Sure did," he agreed, and she nearly choked on air as his lips descended on hers once again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Don't forget to review... and sit tight for the rest. We're only a third of the way through this business. :)


	34. Game Night

**Game Night**

Kaoru buried her face in her hands. "You've gotta be kidding me," she groaned.

Boastful laughter met her ears, along with a chorus of mutinous chuckles. "What's wrong, Racoony-pie?" Misao taunted gleefully.

"I will murder you," Kaoru flung at the now-dancing Misao. A murderous glare rose to the colorful stacks of paper in front of her, and with a heavy heart, Kaoru began pulling various bills from the stack. Each motion only deepened Kaoru's frustration, and by the end of it, she nearly threw the money at Misao. "Take it and shut your face," she threatened.

Misao grinned. "Didn't my beautiful hotel have comfy beds?"

"No. The owner should know there was an infestation of cockiness, along with one colossal pain in the rear."

"You should get that checked out."

"Oh, for the love of-" Megumi leaned forward, successfully quieting the tension that was quickly building into a war, and grabbed the dice that were spread across the board. "You two bicker like an old couple."

"Says the one who's coming in second," Kaoru retorted under her breath, turning her furious glare to the quickly dwindling money before her.

Kenshin reached out to pat Kaoru's shoulder reassuringly. "It's not so bad this side of the fence," he offered with a ridiculous grin.

"You already lost!" Kaoru spluttered, unable to believe that he was even remotely happy after having his rear handed to him twenty minutes into the most brutal game ever. Out of pity, Aoshi had vouched for him to still be able to roll and move his little top hat piece around the Monopoly board, but aside from going in squares, Kenshin was doing exactly nothing. And he was still _smiling_! "What does a penniless wanderer know about fences?!" Kaoru all but shouted.

Kenshin's grin faded far too quickly, and he replaced his look with seriousness. "Join me on this side and I'll show you," he told her, wriggling his brows for good measure.

"Ugh!" Kaoru squealed, taking the pillow that had been resting innocently between them and shoving it directly into his face.

Kenshin's laughter, coupled by Sano's snorts, barely topped Megumi's thrilled shout as she moved her piece into a fleeting safe spot on that entire side of the board. The four of the five spots behind her were owned by Aoshi, and six of the seven spots in front of her were owned by Sano. To have evaded both of them was golden, but when she drew a card that demanded all players pay her money, she flew from her seat and threw the card onto the middle of the board. "PAY UP, VAGABONDS!"

Kaoru slowly handed her the money, then turned her icy glare to Kenshin. "I have a hundred and six dollars left. You best start giving me some luck with the dice or sell me on the perks of living on your side."

"Well," he said, deliberately pausing his explanation to move his chair closer to hers. Leaning close to her, he lowly elucidated. "Only members are allowed to know what's on this side."

"Oh, you're so full of it," Kaoru snorted, watching Sano roll and land in jail. "OH, SCREW YOU!" she erupted. "ONE SPACE AWAY FROM MY ONLY PROPERTY AND YOU LAND IN JAIL INSTEAD! YOU MISCREANT!"

Sano's great comeback was a dance similar to Misao's, only he took the time to rise from his seat and actually spin around, merely because it rubbed his success in deeper.

Aoshi and Misao rolled, of course landing on each other's properties, which made their turns a relative draw.

Kenshin carefully released the dice onto the middle of the board, and infuriatingly moved his piece to Free Parking. In an attempt to restrain his laughter, he bit his lip so hard that he winced. None of it went unnoticed by Kaoru, who in turn rolled a three… and landed on Aoshi's railroad. "Yeah, go get some deodorant for that B&O," she grumbled, handing her remaining money and measly property to the _smiling_ hooligan.

Rising from the couch area, she wove around everyone and headed into her Misao's kitchen, intent on getting herself a large glass of water. And maybe drowning her sorrows in it. Laughter followed her retreat, but someone else followed far more surreptitiously.

After she turned the corner into the hallway, arms wrapped around her waist suddenly, making her cry out in a surprised yelp. At the same time, she jumped, nearly slamming the crown of her head into Kenshin's nose as he giggled.

 _Giggled._

"What do you want?" she muttered grouchily. The good thing about them being friends for so long was that they were able to say anything, knowing that the other would understand completely. They could curse at each other until they were blue in the face and then burst into laughter two seconds later, knowing without apology or clarification that the other never meant any of it. Just like Kenshin would know that a grouchy ' _what do you want_ ' equated to a pouting _'this sucks hard_ ,' and that she didn't blame him.

"I was thinking of showing you my side- _our side -_ of the fence," he admitted, and then spun her and immediately covered her mouth with his. Pouring dozens of warm and tender pecks along her face, he placed a final kiss on the tip of her nose and then pulled away, grinning widely.

Blinking her eyes open from bliss, Kaoru waited for the world to come into focus. Of course the first thing she saw was a wide smile framed with strands of scarlet. "You can't keep doing," she told him.

The grin somehow stretched further. "Can't keep doing what?"

" _That!_ " she tried to assert, though her brain was only just catching up with her. "It's not fair!"

"That's a shame," Kenshin lamented, slowly pressing his lips to her temple. The light touch sent lightning sparking through her veins and she melted into his embrace, allowing him to continue to press more and more kisses along her cheeks and lips. After a few dozen times of chastely grazing his lips against her skin, he whispered close to her ear. "I should warn you. On our side of the fence, there's no more need to play fair."

"Mmm…" Kaoru agreed, unsure anymore of what he was saying. All she knew was that wrapping her fingers around his muscled biceps would encourage him to continue. So she wrapped her fingers around his muscled biceps and felt her felt melting into the ground when he captured her lips again.


	35. Can't Kill Us

**Can't Kill us**

 **-The Glitch Mob-**

No one on the planet was sexier than the three of us. It was a fact, and any disputes were pointless and absurd. With stilettos, tight skirts, flirtatious tops, and lipstick red enough to kill, we were sure to make all the women at the club jealous and all the guys drool. Misao said so, and there was no arguing with her.

Not that I wanted to. I felt _amazing!_

Ok. Maybe Misao and I had a couple of glasses of wine while getting ready, but that didn't matter. We were hot stuff, damn it! Like lionesses. Or leopardesses. No… that sounded weird. Pantheresses? TIGRESSES!

We were tigresses! Gorgeous tigresses!

Megumi's deep blue convertible had its top down and we were soaring through the city with music hammering against our souls. She had pulled her hair back so that her long strands didn't whip across her face, but Misao and I were enjoying the feeling of having our curls flutter behind us. We had brushes, but we were convinced that even if we strutted into the club with crazy wind-blown hair, it wouldn't have detracted from our gorgeous looks.

We would be even _sexier_.

Pulling up to a stoplight, I bobbed along with the song on the radio, feeling its energy coursing through me. Misao was flailing a bit too wildly, but the way she whipped her head back and forth was mesmerizing enough to make up for it. Knowing that I couldn't quite pull that off, I opted for a slower, more carnal movement and felt myself getting really into it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a car pull up beside us. Overcome by the song's seduction, I felt myself not giving a damn about who was in the car. Mustering all my sauciness, I raked my hands through my hair and slowly, _very_ sensually, turned my head and locked eyes with the driver beside us. To say I was shocked to see it was Kenshin, Aoshi, and Sano would have been an understatement. Sure, they were going to meet us at the club, but the chances of them pulling up beside us were slim, and I basked in the perfection of a moment that could never have been repeated if we tried. Holding back a grin, I winked at Kenshin and blew a kiss.

Half a second later, Megumi punched the gas and we were off, leaving the occupants of the other car frozen at the now-green light. Megumi snorted to herself. "And they complained about us being late…"

Misao immediately propelled herself forward from the back seat and her head appeared beside mine. "Did you see how big Himura's eyes got? His jaw is on the floorboard!" Misao's reaction was so shocked and her voice so squeaky that my laughter tumbled out like fresh wine being corked and poured. "Did something happen between you two?! SO HELP YOU IF SOMETHING HAPPENED AND YOU HAVEN'T TOLD US!"

I bit my lip, choosing to keep the secret a bit longer. Dancing with him that night would probably have given it away, but I was too busy still dancing to care. "Don't be ridiculous," I told her, deliberately being vague.

Misao's subsequent laugh would have been terrifying, had there not already been enough wine in me to feel weightless. "Oh man…" she snorted. "This is going to be the best night ever!"


	36. Mush

**A/N:** Ah! 150 reviews! Officially tied for second place as my highest reviewed fic! :D You're all too kind! Thank you for all the support. Seriously- it means more than you know. Now let's take this mother into first. ^.~

* * *

 **Mush**

With a gloriously happy smile, Kenshin bounded closer to Kaoru. She stepped backward automatically. "You lost," he gloated lightly.

"N-no. Best three out of five?" He stepped forward again, and she neatly tried to duck away.

"We had originally agreed on whoever won the first time. I already let you up the bet twice." He'd beaten her fairly, and in her panic she couldn't think of another way to get him to allow her a third chance.

"But-" Kaoru's protests died on her tongue as Kenshin successfully backed her against the kitchen cabinet and wrapped her hands around his. He grazed his thumb across her knuckles and any other thoughts that would have helped her refute him abdicated her entirely.

He leaned closer to her and reached up with his right hand to brush his fingertips against her hairline. Delicately, he ran his fingertips through her hair in a light caress to the nape of her neck, where they curved gently- just enough to silently refute escape as he breathed on her lips. "It's only a date, Kaoru."

"Fine," she spluttered out, entirely unsure of how confident it sounded. It was remarkable how much of an impact a few glasses of wine had on her self-esteem. Two nights ago at the club, she would have taunted along playfully. She would have been the one making _him_ sweat. But now, bone-dry sober, she felt herself at his mercy. "Only a date," she repeated, unable to formulate anything more intelligent.

"Mmm," he agreed, applying the faintest bit of pressure against her neck, urging her up to meet his lips. At the same time, he leaned down, brushing his lips against hers so delicately that it left her aching for more. There _had_ to be more or else she would go insane! He pulled away slightly. "It's a date," he repeated, meeting her lips again and again in feather-light kisses, "but it's a start to something so much more."

"What?" Kaoru nearly gasped, unable to handle the heat that soared underneath her skin. She tried to pull away so that she could focus on what he was saying, but as she pulled backward, she realized that she didn't go far at all. Her hand was firmly resting against his scalp and clutched onto scarlet... when did _that_ happen?

"I can't get enough of you," Kenshin admitted between kisses. "I don't want to let you go." He spread half a dozen more kisses against her lips and around her mouth. "So we're going to go on a date," he told her, running his lips against hers teasingly, "and I'm going to ask you to be my girlfriend." Delighting in the way her breath caught in her throat, he grinned against her cheek. "And if you stop fighting me, I'll finally be able to kiss you like this," he paused to press his lips on hers so tenderly that she felt everything below her shoulders go numb, "all the time." After innumerable additional pecks that left her in all but a puddle at his feet, he smiled at her. "So... tomorrow night?"


	37. Equivalent Exchange

**A/N:** This took so long because I was trying to write how Kenshin would ask her out, but everything seemed cliche and I was bored while writing. Me bored = you bored, so I finally scratched that idea and moved on. Hopefully this makes up for the long wait. :)

* * *

 **Equivalent Exchange**

Kenshin's breath danced across her earlobe, and it made her chest seize like a game of Red Light-Green Light. The warm fingers at her hips helped her mental capacity in no way, but thankfully they gently guided her body in various directions. He'd been clutching onto her for longer than ever before, and far more intimately than she could handle while still clinging to her sanity. The fingers of one hand ghosted across her slightly exposed skin, and the gentle caress made her skin tingle hotly. "A little bit more," he rasped against her skin, and she nearly exploded.

"AUGH! I know, you miscreant!" she squealed, somehow managing to duck underneath his arms, despite having been held there rather firmly. Meeting dark violet eyes, she backed away a bit more for good measure as her chest heaved up and down. "I know! More bread crumbs!"

She'd been on edge ever since he'd come over and he'd said six evil words that had her _wishing_ for take-out. _"You're going to make chicken parm."_ His offer to help had immediately calmed her nerves that were related to cooking, yet somehow simultaneously made her glower semi-permanent. He was deliberately taking something she had undeniably been horrible at and was using it to his advantage. Which came predominantly in the form of him curling his arms around her and kissing the back of her neck while she tried desperately to concentrate.

The seconds during which he stared at her after her outburst made her want to crawl in a hole with a syringe that she could jab at anyone who came close. But he just _had_ to be smiling the whole time, didn't he? He just _had_ to know how flustered she became when he enveloped himself around her like that. And damn him- he did it intentionally!

To make it all the worse, in the four days since she'd officially ended her four-year relationship hiatus, she already felt her carefully maintained walls withering away as if he'd snuck in when she wasn't looking and sprinkled anti-wall potion all over the damn place. Before she fully realized what she was doing, she'd allowed herself to be swept away in the current of the almost-unbearably adorable affection he showered her in- which was so _weird_! She'd been so certain that she'd continue to be stubborn and more than a little awkward- not to intentionally be difficult, but because that was all she knew. But instead, she realized that she felt remarkably comfortable around him. Almost as if aside from some amazing lip work, nothing had really changed between them. Almost as if they'd kind of already been in a relationship. Without her realizing it.

In fact, it was almost as if this had been his plan all along…

Realization dawned on her, and she felt her eyes narrow dangerously at him. Raising the canister of bread crumbs between them like a shield, she eyed his easy stance and bright eyes. "You've been angling your way into my life for months!" she accused. "All the dinners and the brownies and spending so much time together- it was all to catch me before I could even be suspicious of you!"

Kenshin's throaty laugh was warm as it tumbled between lips that had been grazing along her neck just minutes before. "Consider it equivalent exchange."

Spluttering incoherently at both the fact that he confessed and that he was so ruthlessly bold while doing it, she tried to formulate words. What came to her mouth first was less than tactful. "But that's not fair!" He grinned wolfishly and took a step forward, but stopped again when she defensively shook the bread crumbs at him, as if she were warding off a bear. His grin widened. "No- you stay right there! WHAT equivalent exchange?!"

"When we met, neither of us were looking for any kind of romantic relationship, so I didn't know that I had to fight against your delightfully stubborn charm, but before I knew it, it was too late to turn back. There's no 'off' switch, Kaoru, so I thought I would return the favor and win you over. Now we're even."

Trying to ignore the butterflies that took flight in her tummy at the admission that he had no 'off' switch, she retorted petulantly. "But I didn't do anything intentionally! _Everything_ you did was intentional!"

His eyes twinkled, and he slowly took a couple of steps forward. "Are you saying this isn't a good outcome?"

Red flags sprang up, and Kaoru matched his steps backward. "Don't even- you stay right there."

"Answer the question, koishii." It was the first time he'd called her anything other than her name, and she couldn't deny how attractive it was. Both the endearment and the way his smoldering eyes met hers made her want to wrap her arms around him and kiss him senseless.

Cheeks flaring, her grip tightened on the bread crumbs. "Yes, it's a good outcome," she muttered.

He inched forward. "Are you happy with me?"

"That's a silly question," she blurted, far too entranced by the way he was looking at her. His eyes widened and lips quirked up at her candor, which made her lungs constrict abruptly. "I mean yes."

"Then I really don't see what the problem is," he told her. His voice was rich and low and sent curls of warmth dancing in her bloodstream. He was suddenly much closer, but Kaoru was too entranced to even entertain the idea of fleeing. "Now we're even," he said, removing the bread crumbs from her numb fingers and placing the canister on the counter beside her. His left hand wrapped around her waist, tugging her close, while the other hand came to rest on her cheek. He leaned closer, until his lips were beside her ear, his next words feathering against her earlobe, "and now we both have exactly what we want."


	38. Girls' Night

**Girls' Night**

It was ice cream and movie night with Megumi and Misao, and I kept telling myself to stay calm. They likely already knew about Kenshin and I, and if they didn't, I was sure it wouldn't come as a surprise to them. They'd screech a bit about why I hadn't told them sooner, but that was unavoidable at this point. It had already been six days since we'd made our relationship official and if I waited any longer, they'd move from screeching to straight out mutilation.

Swallowing loudly, I pulled out three bowls and three spoons, laying them neatly on the countertop just as a banging from the front door echoed through my apartment. I strode forward, intent on retaining a brave demeanor. My fingers fumbled with the lock for a moment before undoing it and pulling the door open. Misao tumbled inside, followed closely by Megumi. They both kicked off their shoes and sauntered inside, Misao going so far as to dance her way into the kitchen while Megumi poised herself along the countertop that divided the kitchen from the living room.

"You got cookies and cream, right?" Misao demanded.

"And risk you skinning me if I didn't?" I snorted. "Of course I got it. A huge tub just for you. And a tub of chocolate for you, Megumi."

"Smart girl," Megumi commented, and once she saw me pulling forth the tubs, she turned and made herself familiar with my television and Blu-ray player. "I got a comedy tonight."

"With four- count 'em- _four_ gorgeous hunks," Misao sang, rummaging around my drawers for the ice cream scoop.

"That's right. One each for Misao and I, and two for you, Racoon."

"Wait- why two for me?" I asked, pausing just as a blob of ice cream dropped into Megumi's bowl.

"Because of the three of us, you're the only one male-deprived," Misao answered easily.

The delay between her words and my subsequent motion to continue scooping couldn't have been more than a second, but the youngest of us abandoned her ice cream and threw her hands around my biceps, effectively making me drop the scoop and whipping me around to face her. "WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"Something happened and you didn't tell us?" Megumi's voice was suddenly a lot closer, and then there were two pairs of eyes glowering at me critically. "How long has it been?"

"Her cheeks are still red," Misao commented, narrowing her eyes at me, "which means it hasn't been more than two weeks."

"But she's also not nearly as embarrassed as she would be if it had happened a few days ago," Megumi analyzed. "It's been between four and fourteen days."

"W-wait just a minute-" I tried, but they were already too focused to pay me any mind.

"She's blushing harder now, so definitely less than fourteen days. Plus, the last Night Out was last Thursday, so it would have had to have happened between then and now. I'd say it's between four and nine days."

"But she's not fidgeting as much. Look- her fingers are just clenched. If they were pulling at her shirt, I'd say four or five, but she's not that nervous. It's been between six and nine days."

"What the hell?!" I heard myself squeaking, far too alarmed at their magical ability to pinpoint with such accuracy.

"Look, Megs, we're right on the money!" Misao squealed and then reached out to pinch my cheeks. I floundered against her grasp, swatting my hands and making a face as soon as I pulled away. "Little deviant thought she could hide it from us!"

Within seconds, I was shoved into my couch and I felt a cold bowl of ice cream being dumped into my lap. In the time it took me to grasp the bowl to keep it vanilla from going everywhere, both of them had perched themselves on the coffee table in front of me, effectively trapping me.

Megumi's posture was perfect and her eyes narrowed as she began demanding answers. Misao had a front row seat to a show far more exciting than anything on tv, and she was happily licking her spoon as her eyes gleamed mirthfully.

"What makes you think anything happened?" I protested, but even as the words were leaving my lips, I felt my cheeks warming and knew it was futile.

"You forgot to deny it," Megumi deadpanned. "Now spill."

"Ugh… fine," I groused, latching onto my spoon and shoving it into the ice cream. It was only after savoring the first bite that I recounted everything relevant. "And then he asked me out and I said yes."

Misao started squealing and Megumi laughed as her lips pulled into a smirk strikingly reminiscent of a devious kitsune.

Well… at least the way devious kitsune smirked in manga.

" _Finally_ ," Misao breathed. "It only took you guys like three months longer than it should have."

"Three?" Megumi asked. "No. They were making eyes at each other way before that." Her eyes cut to me. "If you hadn't been so damn stubborn, you two would have gotten together within a month of meeting him. You two were made for each other."

"Mhmm," Misao agreed. "Probably the luckiest catch. Except for my delicious morsel."

"You two are insane," I told them, trying to drown my embarrassment in sugary sweetness.

"No. What's insane is that you're super red right now, which means you haven't told us everything. You clearly gave us the G-rated version. Now we're going to go back and you're going to give us the good bits."

"Oh, no I'm not!"

"We're not leaving until we're satisfied that you've told us everything. He's kissed you senseless by now, I imagine?"

"Well… yeah."

"YES!" Misao squealed giddily. "I KNEW HE WOULD MAKE YOUR KNEES MELT!"

Exhaling heavily, I handed my bowl to Megumi, who reflexively took it. Before either of them could stop me, I climbed over the back of the couch, and headed to the kitchen, careful to keep my gait slow. Any hint of escape would be met with swift retribution. I returned with a half-consumed bottle of wine and two glasses. Each glass made it to each of their hands and I crawled back over the couch. Neither of them questioned me as I drank deeply straight from the bottle. Then, I put the bottle between my crossed legs for safekeeping, retrieved my ice cream, and nodded for them to continue.

"Ok. Knee-melting first," Megumi moderated.

I didn't even have a chance to reply before Misao broke in excitedly. "OH! Then we're going to spend at least ten minutes on how he looks without a shirt!"

"I haven't seen him without a shirt!" I defended, which only made them grin at each other.

"Ohmygod… She's so cute!"

"This is way better than movie night. In fact, this is officially replacing movie night."

 _Kami help me_ , I thought, once again lifting the bottle to my lips.


	39. Zoo

**A/N:** This one started out pretty short and just ended with a really embarrassed Kaoru, but then I realized this would be a great place to answer BigComicRelief's request from a few chapters back, so you can send thanks in that direction for being the reason this quintupled in length. This is now officially the longest chapter.

Thanks again to all of you who review. Your reactions are the reason I have so much fun writing. :)

* * *

 **Zoo**

Misao's laughter surged through the air as she pointed, too filled with glee to coherently vocalize her thoughts. The words spluttered out like a faucet dripping water sporadically to the ground. "I… can't… oh _god!"_ Her voice rose uncontrollably as tears started leaking down her cheeks. "Everywhere! It's everywhere!"

Kaoru glowered at her, tempted more and more with each second that passed to throw the girl over the edge of the bridge and into the exhibit. She was light enough, at least. All Kaoru had to do was grab Misao's belt and get a good grip anywhere on her upper body. Then just shift her weight and heave her right over the spiked fence.

She turned to look at Sano, and only felt her glare narrow further when she found him kneeling on the ground, trying to catch his breath from his own laughter. He was wiping uselessly at tears that were streaming down his cheeks.

Would she be able to lob them both over? They certainly were distracted enough.

Returning infuriated sapphire to the chimpanzee culprit in the center of the exhibit, she felt her jaw drop. The chimp that had been lounging in a hammock not thirty seconds ago- a sight that was so adorable that Kaoru had actually squealed and proclaimed it to be _the cutest damn chimp ever_ \- was now flinging fresh excrement all over the place like it was glitter at a rave.

"I can't… breathe!" Misao choked. "Ohmygod!"

Sano had finally calmed enough to regain his footing, and he threw his arm around Kaoru. "This is the best day of my life," he told her with a snort that only fell back into hysterical laughter.

Kaoru flung his arm off and stalked away, determined to find Kenshin and demand that they leave _now._ She rounded the tree-laden pathway and caught sight of him off in the distance with Megumi. Their arms were full with drinks and snacks and once Kenshin saw Kaoru headed in their direction, he tried to awkwardly wave at her without spilling anything.

The smirk on his face quickly diminished once he noticed her bunched shoulders and her pit-bullish gait. "What's wrong?" he questioned once she was within earshot.

"Chimpanzee was just chillin' in his damn hammock and then he jumped up, turned his back on us, threw his butt in the air, and unloaded! Then he reached between his legs, grabbed a handful of poo and threw it up like it was a firecracker!"

Megumi busted out laughing, unable to handle the mortification on Kaoru's face as she relayed the story. The bag of cotton candy fell out of the to-be-doctor's shaking hands and would have landed on the ground, had it not been for Kenshin's lightning-fast reflexes. He plopped the bag onto the top of Megumi's pile with a not-so-subtle chuckle and tried to reassure his girlfriend of a week as best he could. "Now, Kaoru- you can't fault him for expressing himself."

"I'm not!" Kaoru defended, throwing her hands in the air. "After the fireworks, he turned around and looked right at me as he grabbed another handful and threw it in my direction!" She resolutely ignored the peals of laughter that surged forth from them, too. "AND THEN HE DANCED AROUND, KENSHIN! IN HIS OWN POOP! LIKE HE WAS PROUD OF HIMSELF!"

High-pitched giggles rang out from behind her, and she watched as Misao and Sano sauntered out from around the tall hedge that blocked the curved path. They were clinging onto each other, literally crying.

"You're all jerks!" she shouted, though the words didn't hold as much heat as she'd intended. Had it been anyone else, she'd be laughing just as hard, and she knew that it would be a funny story after a week. But that didn't mean she thought it was funny at that moment, and she huffed out an angry groan as she stomped away down the closest pathway that led _away_ from the chimp exhibit.

It was easy to put a lot of distance between herself and them, what with Kenshin and Megumi's precarious balancing act and Sano and Misao's blind, winded stumbling. Kaoru's eyes fell on a small group of picnic tables, though, and she found herself moving over to them as if her feet had their own mission. Or maybe a mission requisitioned by her stomach. The cotton candy looked like it needed to be eaten. Immediately.

Her friends caught up easily enough, and they all plopped down around her picnic table, spreading the food around for easy access. Kenshin's arm snaked around her shoulders and she was dragged into his side at the exact moment she realized that Sano and Misao had intentionally sat across from her. Intentionally because they were still laughing and were using her dark glower as kindling.

The only thing that kept Kaoru from smashing her forehead on the wooden table was Kenshin peppering several light kisses across her cheek and nose.

"NOW we're finally even," Sano giggled, wiping stray tears from his eyes.

"For what?"

"The Hell Coaster I'm reminded of every time I walk into your place."

"Whatever," Kaoru groused, though she was already lightening up a bit. She'd have to experiment sometime on the pick-me-up grade of fresh cotton candy versus Kenshin kisses. Her mood was improving, but it could have been for either reason. Further testing would be required before she could be certain.

"Alright," Megumi said, pulling a map from her back pocket and shoving popcorn aside as she flattened it against the center of the table. "We have two hours until the zoo closes, so we need to prioritize. I want to see the aviary exhibit the most, which is over here." She pressed a manicured fingertip at one of the corners of the map.

"But that's clear on the other side! I wanna see the marine exhibit!" Misao exclaimed, pointing to a location that was much closer to the center of the zoo, which was where they were currently seated.

"Umm… no," Kaoru butted in. "We already agreed that we'd finish the safari section before deciding where to go next. I need to see my lions."

"There's no time to do all three," Megumi pressed, "and we might as well decide while we're sitting around anyway. It'll save time later. We can finish the safari and then head over to see my birds."

"But I wanna see the kangaroos!" Sano whined. All eyes turned to him, narrowing as he snorted, clearly mocking them. "Why don't we just split up so everyone gets to see what they want?"

"Now Sano," Kenshin chided in that weird sagely voice he was able to emanate whenever he was trying to reason with someone. "We came here as a group. It would be a shame to split up merely over a disagreement. There must be a way to fit everything in before they close."

"Ohmygod…" Kaoru breathed over his last two words, her eyes wide. "I GOT IT!" All eyes turned to her as she spluttered out her plan. "We _will_ split up. Two versus three. Two of us will split off, run as far as we can in five minutes, and hide. The hiders will text a picture of a clue to everyone else, and they will have to find the hiders."

"But- the dolphins!" Misao whined.

"If that's where you want to hide, you can see them."

"She does have a point," Megumi agreed. "It won't be quality time, but we'll be able to cover a good portion of what we haven't seen yet."

"I'm always up for a challenge," Sano grinned. "And your asses will be mine."

"Except for mine," Misao clarified easily. "It belongs to a gorgeous, _beautiful_ man who-"

"Oh, we _get it_."

"And Kaoru's rump already belongs to Kenshin, so you can't have hers either!"

Mortified, Kaoru spluttered defensively, betraying the nervousness of a teenager who hadn't gotten half as far as rump ownership. Kenshin's cheeks were also slightly pink, but he was far too happy basking in Kaoru's embarrassment. It was entrancingly cute to see her pouting like that.

"Fine," Sano conceded, "I'll have the Fox's ass. It's the only one I want anyway." He waggled his eyebrows at her for good measure, but was only met with an exasperated eye roll and a muttered oath.

"Alright," Kaoru said, finally forgetting her chimp- and rump-induced mortification and feeling excitement building once more. She pulled a coin out of her pocket and danced in place briefly. "We'll flip a coin until we narrow it down to two winners. Those will be the two who hide first."

After much coin flipping, shouting, cheering, and a good deal of impressive profanity, the winners were determined and Misao and Megumi were scampering off into the distance, yelling at each other all the while.

"Ugh…" Kaoru groaned. "Now I'm stuck with you two…"

"Obviously the two sexiest men around. You should be salivating all over us," Sano told her.

"Sano! Ew!" she squealed. "Can't take you anywhere."

"Except home," he retorted suggestively.

"SANO!"

His laughter danced to life. "Sorry. Too much sugar," he admitted as he shoved more chocolate-covered raisins into his mouth. "Thi' 'tuff is great, by'faway."

Kaoru turned to Kenshin. "Please. Save me."

But just as Kenshin was about to reply with more sagely advice, they all felt their butts vibrating and they all whipped out their phones.

"We never said it was a race, but I'm timing this mother, and we're gonna destroy them," Kaoru ground out savagely. She barely processed the picture before shoving her phone away and bolting to her feet. "FOLLOW ME!" she shouted over her shoulder, giving her comrades no choice but to do so.

"HOLD UP!" Sano yelled, but he caught up with her after a minute. "How do you know where that is?!"

"I practically grew up here!" she explained. "A little while after we adopted the brat, my dad had to work overtime because the company was expanding. I had to take care of Yahiko after school, so we used to come here all the time. I know this place like the back of my hand."

"But it's a picture of the side of a cage!" Kenshin tried. "There must be half a dozen that look like this!"

"It's the lemurs. Trust me."

And within five minutes, they skidded to a halt and basked in the glory that was Misao's and Megumi's dumbfounded expressions. "HOW?!"

But neither male divulged the secret, and Kaoru only grinned deviously at them. "No way you'd win against me."

Amidst gloating and outrage, the coin was flipped several more times and the two victors were off again. Sano and Misao. And when the clue was sent, Kaoru again took off running. "Arctic exhibit!" she called behind her shoulder.

"But it's a _trash can_!" Megumi squealed.

"Yeah!" Kaoru giggled. "It's the ground around it that gives it away. Only the arctic area has floors that dark. And if nothing else, the lighting would have been enough of a hint."

To everyone's astonishment, the seekers found the hiders in four minutes and twelve seconds. "A RECORD!" she yelled throatily, pumping her fist into the air.

The coin was flipped four more times, and each time the two winners left harder and harder clues. A picture of a plant. A support beam. A ceiling. The corner of a sign. Kaoru couldn't decide if she had astoundingly bad luck for being the seeker every time, or if she was the master of all for always finding her prey on the first guess.

"Alright, this is bullshit," Sano groused heatedly after she danced in his and Megumi's astonishment. "If you're so great, why don't _you_ hide? By yourself. And all of us will try to find you."

"Try?" Misao bit in. She was far too upset at being out-ninja'ed, and she was too determined not to be defeated, regardless of how her chances looked. "No. We're going to find you. The time record is four minutes three seconds. We're going to find you. Under that time limit. And then we're going to spend the last hour of this place being open staring at your BFF, Chimperkins."

Misao expected her friend to display discomfort or panic. Not utter a throaty cackle and scamper off into the distance.

The four of them waited.

Patiently.

… Ok, not so patiently. All of them glowered at each other, muttering oaths and promises to annihilate. Then they turned their gazes to their phones, waiting silently for the clue.

In the meantime, Kaoru had run off along the westerly pathway, then turned south at the first left, and ducked into a nearby exhibit. Grinning to herself as she stared at her phone, she waited until three minutes passed before venturing further into the cave-like structure that surrounded her on all sides. Taking careful aim with her phone's camera, she snapped a shot of a bat's foot, sent it, and started her timer. It was more of a hint than any of them had given her, but she knew that it would throw them off her trail. In fact, it was why she picked the bat exhibit in the first place. Pure deception.

That and bats were just adorable.

Shielded on all sides by walls that were modeled after a cave, there was no way they could chance on her as they ran by. They'd have to deliberately go inside and search for her. That was the first brilliant part of her hiding spot.

The second was that even if they did guess that the clue was a bat, bats lived on every continent except for Antarctica, so it wouldn't have narrowed down their search unless they stopped and asked an employee.

The third part of her Kao-mazingness was that she was actually pretty close to where her hunters had been waiting, but she'd deliberately held off on sending the picture to make it seem like she was running a lot farther than she actually had. They'd be thinking of areas clear on the other side of the zoo- not somewhere so close.

Basking in her own premature victory, Kaoru grinned widely and took her time strolling through the exhibit. There were a dozen species spread across the cave system, and she gazed at each of them as she passed. Kaoru drew to a stop at the Egyptian Fruit Bat, and had Yahiko been there, he'd have rolled his eyes at her predictability. It was her favorite bat, and she could spend hours staring at them without care.

They were so tiny- barely bigger than a human's hand. Their little clawed feet clung to thin branches close to the ceiling, and they'd wrapped their leathery wings around the kiwi, oranges, and peaches that were suspended from the ceiling grate. The smaller claws on the edges of their wings dug into the fruit to hold it in place as they munched cheerfully.

"I've never seen them so active," someone said beside her, startling her out of her trance.

Turning, Kaoru locked eyes with a man around her age. Short dark hair, brown eyes, and an expressive face were the first attributes she took note of. He was dressed casually, and was leaning on the same wooden armrest she was perched against. Had he been there long?

"Yeah," she agreed. "They're nocturnal, but a zookeeper told me a while ago that they keep the lights really low, which has been able to alter some species' sleep cycles. Sometimes they wake up if they smell fresh fruit, like these guys."

They turned their gazes back to the four bats that were curled around various fruits, happily nibbling away. Kaoru felt her grin returning. Their faces were rounded, and their noses tipped small snouts that accentuated wide mouths. Their ears were tiny ovals that sharpened to a light point on the end, and aside from their wings, they were covered in very short hair.

"They're really cute," the man said after a minute.

"I know," Kaoru gushed, dangerously close to squealing. "I'd take them all home if I could."

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "You're really cute, too," he told her confidently.

Kaoru's widespread grin vanished, and she stood upright. Rarely hit on, she had no idea how to respond. Well… Misao said that Kaoru was macked on regularly, but was too oblivious to realize nine times out of ten. But really- what could she have said to his comment? _Thanks?_

She must have looked half crazy, opening and closing her mouth as she tried to form a reply. Settling on two clear responses- _'sorry, I have a boyfriend,'_ and _'I'm seeing someone'_ \- she'd intended on weighing them quickly and saying the one that sounded better, but her mouth got carried away and amalgamated the words together. "Sorry, I have seeing some friend."

Flushing immediately, she took a step back as he stared at her with wide eyes. "I mean- I have a…" _Boyfriend_ was still such a bizarre and foreign word to her that it felt like an even more awkward lie saying it. They'd been dating for a week, and she had yet to actually call him her boyfriend. Everyone else had caught on without them needing to say a thing. So saying the word 'boyfriend' was almost as embarrassing as whatever goop she'd already blurted. "I'm already seeing someONE!"

The last word came out as a deafening screech as something solid slammed into her back. A pair of slender arms latched around her and locked her in, keeping her from pitching forward onto the ground. Her heart felt like it was going to explode right there in her chest, and Kaoru kept panicking until she freed herself.

Or rather, until Misao had released her because she was too busy crying again. " _Oh. My. God_ ," she wept, choking on laughter that racked her small frame. "I'm gonna _die_!"

Scowling, Kaoru clenched her fingers into tight fists and strode off toward the exit, not bothering to cast a backward glance at either of them. She emerged into the daylight, squinting angrily at the sudden brightness. Kenshin, Sano, and Megumi were all running toward her, but the latter two stopped several paces away as they drank in the seething glare she shot at them.

Only Kenshin was brave enough to step any closer, and he reached out to gently clasp her hand. He smoothed his fingers over her fist, trying to unwind her fingers through tender grazes and a series of warm kisses.

Kaoru felt the heavy weight of her embarrassment ebb slightly.

… Until Misao emerged a moment later. Her laughter was almost bellowing by then, only broken up by loud heaves as she tried to pull enough air into her lungs to rekindle her mirth. Kaoru didn't have to look over to know that tears were still streaming freely down her cheeks. Then the sound shifted a bit. She'd fallen over and was now on the ground.

"I… all!" she wheezed. "Too… 'mazing… Got it… all!"

The broken string of words had Kaoru spinning around and pulling herself from Kenshin's comforts, but it was too late. The traitor was on her back and in the hand stretched high above her was her phone. The screen was dark, but sound started streaming from it, and Kaoru was horrified to hear the guy's voice blurt that she was cute.

 _She'd recorded it!_

Knowing well what was coming next and feeling far too embarrassed to hear it again, Kaoru dove at Misao. She barely made it two steps before she was once again drawn against someone, though this time the chest was warm and smooth and the arms around her were like iron bands.

Kenshin's intention was pure- he simply didn't want them to get into a brawl, or to get all of them kicked out. Sano's intention wasn't remotely as good. He'd picked up on what was happening like a cat locking in on a canary, and dove between the two women like a valiant guard, his lanky arms thrown outward like a shield.

"Wait," Misao wept, fumbling slightly. She must have paused it and started over, because the next sound was the guy from inside. "You're really cute, too."

Kaoru could shout over the next part. Could flounder in Kenshin's grasp. Could attempt to murder Misao and throw the phone into the bear exhibit. But she knew that no matter how hard she fought, the recording would be played.

The sound of her horrible stuttering grated against her eardrums, and she felt Kenshin go still. His arms tightened, and Kaoru felt panic rising as his lips touched her ear. "You couldn't say it," he breathed.

Cheeks matching the color of his hair, Kaoru clamped down on her lips, knowing that if she released them, she'd spew out more embarrassing nonsense.

Before she knew it, she was being led away from the horrible sound of her screeching being replayed a second time and three voices choking for air.

A sinking feeling settled in her chest. The same feeling that she always got when Kenshin was planning something, and Kaoru tried to reinforce her defenses as Kenshin stopped a short distance away in a secluded area that was guarded on three sides by trees and other various plant life.

Spun around to face him, she automatically met his eyes and swallowed thickly at the determination that stared back at her. His hands came to rest at her hips, and though he wasn't holding her tightly, his touch was firm. She'd already learned over the past few days that there was no escaping his grasp.

"We're going to work on this, koishii." His lips grazed hers tauntingly. "I won't be satisfied until you can comfortably tell the world that you're mine."

"I-it's just a title," she tried, already feeling her body melting against his.

"That may be so," he agreed, feathering a few kisses around her cheeks. "But it's one that declares you off limits to other men." Almost as if the words sparked some kind of realization, he pressed his lips against hers so abruptly that her lips parted in surprise. He flicked his tongue inside and drew her body even closer, moving his left hand up to her hair. His fingers angled her head slightly, which allowed him the perfect angle to devastate her. Her lungs protested, but he felt too blissful to consider pulling away. In fact, if she asphyxiated, it would be the happiest death anyone could wish for. She clung to him, and she felt him smiling against her lips as her boneless legs began wobbling.

When he pulled away, she actually gasped a couple of times for air, and felt disappointment settling in. "Kids," he explained, something primal about his smile as he drank in her frustration. And sure enough, if she refocused her energy enough to listen, the sound of young giggling was getting closer and closer. "But don't worry, my little dragonfly," he said, placing a chaste parting kiss on her lips and slowly untangling himself from her. "We're going back to your place right after this, and you're going to practice telling everyone that you have an adoring boyfriend who makes you happier than they ever could." The look in his eyes was a bone-warming promise that he already knew exactly how to get her comfortable with the words.


	40. The Plan

**A/N:** SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY! X.X I've come equipped with good reasons... Like having to make life-changing decisions about my future, to the effect of turning down a graduate program at flipping NYU, for starters. There are a fleet of pretty serious medical reasons which we're still trying to get to the bottom of as well, and I seriously hope they won't have an effect on my writing. Realistically, however, they will. I promise I'll finish this either way, and I appreciate patience on your end in the meantime. This is my pick-me-up fic, and I will not give that up until it's complete- have no fears!

* * *

 **The Plan**

 _ **-Kaoru's POV-**_

"ALRIGHT!" Misao shouted, finally confident enough to slam down the scrap of paper before us. A massive grin decorated her face as Aoshi sat beside her, who actually looked eager. _Eager._ That alone was enough to toss flags onto the playing field. And bright, flashing signs of warning.

Sano, who was sitting beside me, launched himself forward to inspect the paper, but I could read the title clearly from my vantage point. The name was immediately familiar, and that alone made me back away… and inadvertently into Kenshin's warm arms.

"Are you _insane?!"_ I hissed as Kenshin tried to peer around me. "Seriously! How you could you even suggest this!?"

Misao's answering cackle was enough to still our blood. Or at least mine, since I seemed to be the only person who had heard of Makoto Mansion. "It's not a suggestion." Her mirth was so uncontainable that it came out on the verge of being a squeal. "I've already booked next Friday for all of us."

"WhattheFUCKISWRONGWITHYOU?!" I screeched.

"To everyone else," Misao grinned, turning to meet Kenshin's, Sano's, and Megumi's eyes, "Makoto Mansion is allegedly haunted."

"ALLEGEDLY?!" I shouted.

Misao continued, studiously ignoring my outburst in favor of telling the story, though it was far too evident that her cheeks were squished to their maximum from the grin that stemmed from my reaction. "The mansion was built in Kyoto in the Meiji period and is now a hundred and thirty-six years old. The official story is that the warrior who built it, Makoto Shishio, got rich off of assassinating countless people in an attempt to throw Japan into turmoil. Blood money paid for it, and the mansion became Makoto's lair, where he held secret meetings with other rebels. When government officials finally pinpointed him as the assassin, they set fire to the mansion in the middle of the night. He and his mistress burned alive in the fire, along with half a dozen other conspirators who planned to overturn the government."

"FuckingCRAZY!" I squeaked, burying my face into Kenshin's shirt. At a loss for what else to do, Kenshin wrapped his arms around my shoulders, but remained riveted to Misao's retelling.

"The fire was put out before it could entirely destroy everything, but the mansion was in shambles. Locals thought it was cursed, so no one touched the land for decades until someone swooped in and bought the property from the government. Turns out that it was Makoto's son, and he poured all of his money into rebuilding the mansion. It was repurposed as a hotel, but kept its original name, and thanks to the great views and the legend behind it, the place paid for itself within a decade. But about a century after being rebuilt, guests staying there started to report seeing ghosts and being woken up by someone touching them, but finding no one when they searched their rooms. It got so bad that half the mansion was shut down, and the other half is only ever booked by amateur ghost hunters. Three legit ghost hunter shows have visited in the past decade, and one of them couldn't finish their investigation because half their investigators mysteriously got sick to their stomachs and couldn't make it through the night."

Misao basked in the horrified looks that were directed at her before delivering the punchline. "Gramps plays Go with the current owner's father. All the rumors are true," she grinned, "and Gramps got us access to the forbidden wings."

Amidst Kenshin's, Sano's and my horrified protests, Megumi snorted disdainfully. "Haunted? Oh, please. Paranormal hunters are either fools or actors trying to get ratings."

"Logic," Misao preened, beside herself in her happiness. "A reasonable reaction from a scientist. A perspective we will count on when things start to be less… reasonable…"

Sano chose then to start shrieking profanity at the world in general, and only Kenshin's steady voice was able to calm him enough to silence his protests. "I imagine that you wish for us to spend the night in these forbidden wings," he summarized. "The victor will be the couple who remains in the mansion until dawn?"

"You got it!" Misao affirmed cheerily.

"We accept," Kenshin stated boldly, holding me comfortingly.

"LIKE HELL WE DO!" I screeched abruptly, flailing and trying to tear myself from his grasp.

"We do, as well," Megumi said, ignoring Sano's look of horror and loud protests.

Misao's cackle was one that would have sent fresh chills down my spine, had I not been ready to pee myself already. "May the bravest couple survive."


	41. Makoto Mansion—Part I

**Makoto Mansion-** **Part I**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

"NO!" I shouted, fighting against Kenshin's hold. "I'M NOT DOING IT!"

"Koishi," he breathed, knowing the word always calmed me. "I will be with you the whole time." His grip loosened very slightly as he leaned forward to brush his lips beside my ear—a weak spot, he knew—but instead of melting, I took advantage of the opportunity to fully wrench myself away. In the same motion, I jumped away from him and spun around, instinctively holding my hands up defensively, ready to swat at him if he tried to latch onto me again.

Kenshin looked mildly surprised by both the fact that I managed to finally escape and that for the first time ever, his tender endearment failed to work its magic. He started to speak, but I cut him off before he could say anything. "We'll DIE if we stay in there!" I told him, flinging my fist toward the massive building and pointing at it. "And if the gods hate us enough to preserve our lives, we'll have nightmares and weird twitches every day until our last! This is seriously the textbook definition of _insane_! Not one good thing can come out of this, and if the price of keeping my sanity is to say the words _'Misao, you win,'_ then I will GLADLY say them!"

Kenshin's gaze shifted briefly to the mansion, as if sizing it up once more. I refused to take my eyes off of him, for fear that any distraction would allow him to trap me again, but I'd seen enough of the cursed building to know that his eyes were following giant wooden beams that had been painted red and assembled with careful precision almost a century and a half ago. He was silently calculating the distance between us and the first of many wide steps that led up to three sets of front doors that looked large even from our distance at the bottom of the hill it sat upon. His eyes were gliding across the roofs that swept outward majestically and covered the dozens of halls that spread backward and out of sight.

Were it not for its infamy, I'd have happily used the words 'beautiful' or 'elegant' to describe the mansion. I'd have fawned over it for its romantic seclusion perched halfway atop a mountain, away from the city, and surrounded by thick forest. I'd have gone all gooey-eyed at the dozens of beautiful sakura trees that gracefully accented the strong edifices. I'd have begged Kenshin to take me there for a romantic getaway and we would have dressed in traditional garb and had tea or whatever and strolled around the gardens with my head resting on his shoulder.

But thanks to a few producers who approved a some people spending a single night with a few cameras, moderately decent editors who might or might not have thrown in a few half-believable additions, and my overactive imagination, this place would only ever be the stuff that nightmares had nightmares about.

Kenshin's gaze returned to mine and he tried to smile comfortingly. When he saw the complete lack of effect it had on me, he exhaled heavily and shoved his hands into his pockets in a very Sano-esque way. "Well, I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to drastic measures, but I guess I'll have to lay my cards on the table."

I was able to refrain from rolling my eyes, but my dry stare informed him that he sounded way too rehearsed.

He continued, completely unfazed. "If you do this, I will offer my Services of Protection and Comfort for as long as you desire them. These services are as follows: firstly, I will provide comfort to you in whatever way you would like, whenever you would like. Secondly, I will do everything within my abilities to ensure no harm comes to you. And finally, I will sleep at your place from now on, to ensure that nothing will hurt or frighten you."

I felt my jaw drop. "We've only been dating for three weeks! Are you asking to move in with me?!"

"Not at all," Kenshin replied easily. "I'm simply letting you know that I will need to be around at all times in order to uphold my Services of Protection and Comfort. It's a good thing you have a comfy couch, Miss Kaoru." He actually wriggled his eyebrows, and I watched his eyes gleam as he tried to bite down on the smile that threatened to spread.

"Oh, don't give me that!" I nearly shouted. "You're not sleeping on my couch!"

Without skipping a beat, "You're suggesting your bed? It's only been three weeks, Kaoru," he said, placing a hand on his heart, mockingly affronted.

"N-no!"

"Then you'll come stay at my place? ... In my bed?"

"Damnit, Kenshin! Be serious!" I said, feeling so flustered that I stomped my foot petulantly in the dirt, making a small cloud of it puff to life.

"I am serious," he assured me. His eyes still danced happily and his smile was growing, but I knew that he really did mean it. "Given that ghosts or spirits or whatever are the cause for concern, the primary threat would be at night. I don't know much about spirits, but everything I've ever heard says they're only really active at night. So by offering my Services of Protection and Comfort, I inherently need to be the most vigilant at night."

"What are you going to do? Sit in the corner of my room with a bat and swat at ghosts that decide to stop by?" I couldn't help but envision him lurking in the darkness like a mountain lion waiting for prey. "That's absurd!"

"What's absurd is thinking that if I'm already in your room, I'd be standing in the corner." His tone was a concoction of playful candor, and I could feel a bashful smile fighting against my frown. "No," he said, taking two measured steps forward, as if to ensure my full attention was on him. As if it could have been anywhere else. "The real thing that's absurd is thinking that even if this place really is haunted, a spirit would go back to Tokyo with us just to follow you around and scare the pants off you. If there really are spirits here, they're going to stay here and once you leave, you'll never have to deal with them again. And even if you did, you'll have my Services of Protection and Comfort, which will require me to vanquish them. So really, you'll be completely safe."

I glowered at him, unsure of which emotion to settle on. I was both impressed and annoyed by the amount of thought that went into his Services of Protection and Comfort, and the fact that he delivered them so smoothly. I felt reassured that he was so invested in cheering me up, and happy and flustered and half-speechless that he would go so far out of his way in the future to 'protect' me. Of course, with how enamored he'd been for the past three weeks, I wasn't so sure he _would be_ going out of his way. All of it actually seemed to be far more in his favor and I knew he saw it as a win-win situation. And I felt nonplussed by the fact that he was already (jokingly? seriously?) suggesting moving in.

"Why is beating that horrible Weasel so important to you?" I asked him, unwilling to decide which emotion to give the spotlight to.

He turned the question around easily. "Why are you hesitating on my offer? All you have to do is spend a single night in a place that might have some weird noises, and in turn you get to reap the benefits of my Services of Protection and Comfort. For as long as you want, might I add." His lilac eyes were so deep and sincere that I felt my muscles relax. He gave no hint that he would snatch me up at the moment, so I allowed him to step close enough to reach out and wrap my left hand in both of his. He smoothed his fingers over my palm and the back of my hand, lightly massaging as he went. "My preference, if you'd like to know, is forever."

As twin pillars of pure astonishment and warmth battled within my head, Kenshin took advantage of the way my shock left me boneless. Warm lips descended upon mine, drawing my focus to all the places he was suddenly, and very tenderly, touching me—my lips, the back of my head, my waist.

And as he slowly nipped on my lower lip, I felt myself giving less and less of a damn about the mansion before us. "We will be fine," he breathed against my lips, then scattered dozens of kisses around my cheeks and forehead. "Ghosts are not real," he reasoned, continuing to lay sweet pecks against my chin and ears. "And I promise that I won't let anything touch you."

He pulled away then, and as I slowly blinked my eyelids open, I was greeted with a cheeky smile and a fistful of white papers. "Also," he exclaimed proudly, "I got these for you." He thrust the thin parchments into my hands, and my fingers automatically closed around them. "Just in case."

I stared at the ofuda, completely speechless. When had he gotten Shinto talismans of purification and protection, and where the hell had he been hiding them until that moment? My eyes grazed the kanji symbols that were carefully inked vertically down the center of the rectangular strips in midnight black. I delicately thumbed through them, noting four different charms of protection, repeated over two or so dozen ofuda.

I blinked up at him, and in that moment we both knew that he'd won.

Well. He'd likely been very confident in his victory ever since he got the ofuda and crafted his Services of Protection and Comfort.

Damn. Him.

"If we get attacked, I reserve the right to maul you," I told him bluntly.

His only reply was a silent grin as he offered his arm. Rolling my eyes, I threaded my arm in his and allowed him to lead me up the steps carved into the hill, and to the grand atrium of Makoto Mansion.


	42. Makoto Mansion—Part II

**A/N:** I wrote most of this chapter with the second live action movie in the background. And I need to admit that although I'm (obviously) in love with Kenshin, _ohmygod_ , do I love Sano to pieces. Seriously.

And while it's my fault for going down the road of writing about a haunted place, you can blame this chapter taking so long on whatever it is that makes a ton of noise in my house at night when I'm alone. Because at night when I'm alone is when I do most of my writing, and writing about any level of creepiness when there is a severe level of creepiness going on around me is pure insanity. I'd intended to write this part as kind of a middle finger to the noises, but the last laugh is apparently not mine.

* * *

 **Makoto Mansion—Part 2**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

The grand atrium was massive. My eyes were immediately drawn to the grand staircase straight ahead of us, and then upward to the ceiling that stretched high above our heads. Little by little, my eyes drank in the beautiful designs that could be seen everywhere. The internal architecture was meticulously crafted—from the well-placed floorboards of fine wood, the intricately-carved designs in the wall panels, and the detailing in the tall ceiling— and all of it was preserved just as carefully as it was crafted. The level of detail in the artwork that decorated the walls and the precision in each of the shoji screens that lined the hallway was simply astounding.

I stared wide-eyed at everything and clutched onto the protective ofudo I'd stuffed into my hoodie more tightly than ever. "I will ruin you if you're wrong," I whispered to him under my breath.

A slender woman dressed in a fine kimono strode forth, bowed to us in greeting, and led us down a long adjoining hallway to a room from which familiar voices were surging forth. She placed her hands on the edge of the door and pulled it open, motioning for us to join our four friends who had momentarily gone silent at the interruption.

The room was elegant in many ways. Ornately painted screens lined the walls and massive, finely- crafted pottery graced the corners. A massive, dark wooden table rested in the middle of the room, surrounded by plush cushions and my insane friends.

"So you two finally decided to show up!" Misao grinned, leaping out of her chair and throwing her arms up, unable to contain her mirth. "Now we can officially start the night!"

Megumi crossed her arms and met my gaze with one of her _looks_. "Actually, the Rooster started without you."

My eyes drifted to Sano, who had only a few hints of nervousness remaining behind his pupils. The rest of his expression had drifted to a happy grin as he clutched two large glasses—one in each hand. "Sitt'own Missy! Might as well get started now!"

In the midst of the consuming panic that had left me feeling physically ill and mentally overworked, I'd completely overlooked the fact that _of course_ Sano would ensure there would be copious amounts of alcohol. I was beyond relieved for my profoundly silly oversight, and by the time I took a seat across the dark table, he'd already poured me something I didn't care to identify and pushed it over to me. In one smooth motion, I scooped it up, put it to my lips, and chugged half of it.

"YES!" I heard Sano shout excitedly in the background, along with some crazed shuffling. By the time I pulled the glass away from my lips, he was already pushing me a second glass. "We'll get through it," he told me seriously, and then threw back the drink in his right hand, effectively emptying it. "Ya want one, Ken-man?"

Sano didn't wait for a response before retrieving yet another glass and filling it. "Here ya go, buddy." He lifted his drink, looked Kenshin in the eye, and said, "Good luck to all of us," before taking yet another swig.

"He's three minutes from blacking out," Megumi informed them, then slyly added, "It's honestly the best tactic he could have opted for."

"Isn't that cheating somehow?" I asked her. "And why are you giving away your secret to victory?"

"It's not cheating at all. The win goes to whichever couple stays in here the longest. Or until daylight, whichever comes first. There were no stipulations, and since he will pass out in the next couple of hours, it's safe to say we win. I was just giving you the heads up."

I snorted at her proclamation. Kenshin already got me in the damned mansion, so I was in it to win. Yes, I was still piss-myself-terrified, but alcohol would thankfully go a long way to assuage most of my fears, so all I had left to do was latch onto my stubbornness like a cape of triumph and ride out the night. Trash talking was now a given, and I dove into my role as smoothly as I could while gulping down a particularly strong selection of beer. Bravo Sano. "Well, thanks for the warning, but—and it pains me to say this—I'm going to take a page out of Sano's book and join him in oblivion. And since Kenshin is ruthless and fearless, I think we have this covered."

Misao simply grinned and lifted her own cup to her lips. "I, for one, am beyond excited," she proclaimed. Then she lowered her voice dramatically as she leaned in. "The owner is so terrified of the night that he's ordered the last remaining employee to leave by sundown."

As if her words had summoned the woman who had led Kenshin and I to the room, the shoji screen was pulled open again and the woman brought in several trays of food. Rice balls. Dried fish. Spiced chicken. Assorted sweets. And—

"Oh, YES!" Sano shouted, thrusting himself out of his seat, snatching the newly-brought tray of pizza slices and sitting back down with half of the platter hanging over the table in his lap. Eagerly, he snatched up a piece and shoved it into his drooling mouth. "You're the best!" he told the woman just as she brought in the last of the food.

"Please take care tonight," she said gravely. She was half trembling and refused to meet anyone's eyes, instead staring at the grain patterns in the table. "Should you find yourselves not as alone tonight as you think, run outside as quickly as you can, and make your way down the hill. You will be safe there." Then without waiting for a word of acknowledgement, she rushed out of the room, shut the door, and the sound of footfalls running away signified her eager departure.

Silence encompassed the room.

"HOT DAMN!" Sano finally exclaimed. "THIS IS THE BEST PIZZA EVER!"

I felt myself darting forward and my fingers wrapped around a slice. "Does it beat Amici's?"

"See'fo yo'self." Sano slurred, smacking his lips as he sucked in stray cheese.

"Oh gods," Megumi breathed, sounding for all like she was going to vomit.

"IT DOES!" I gushed.

Misao, who had taken a slice as well, promptly agreed before drawing forth a couple of decks of cards. "Anyone up for a game?"

Two hours later found us all laughing loudly as we made minor bets on our hands. Sano was on a particularly bad losing streak, and I couldn't fight the tears that kept springing to my eyes every time he looked at a new hand. His luck was so bad that it seemed like it actually physically pained him, and his jaw dropped dramatically even as he tried to school his features into stoicism. His inevitable loss always caused him to throw down his cards hatefully, and after a particularly ugly loss, he wolfed down the last rice ball and said the fateful words, "Let's go exploring, shall we?"

I nodded enthusiastically, downed my entire cup, and sprang to my feet. "I WANT TO LEAD!"

And so we began our trek as I threw open the door and sauntered out like it was some great adventure. I'd been sitting for a while, but the punch of the alcohol when it hit me was far harder than I'd anticipated. And I couldn't deny how fantastically amazing it was. I'd volunteered (demanded?) to be the Expedition Leader in an extension of Hell and my extremities were tingly and nice and WOW, did this Shishio dude know what was up with the crane paintings. "THAT is super nice," I told everyone, pointing at the lower part of a screen in the hall that led back to the atrium.

Kenshin strolled up beside me. "Are you sure about this, Koishi?"

"Psshtttt! I got this!"

Thankfully, the caretaker had lit candles every so often within graceful lanterns that hung from the ceiling. Some deeper part of me appreciated that the mansion had been kept true to its old roots, and that no technology had permeated its walls. Though dim, the candlelight still made it easy enough to navigate. The flashlights we were all equipped with illuminated everything we took particular interest in, and mine and Sano's beams helpfully showed everyone else what kinds of adventures our short, drunken attention spans were taking us on.

We pressed forth until we reached the grand entry room, which is when Misao danced to my side, giggling insanely as she latched onto my arm. "Wanna split up?" she asked, nodding at the four halls that stretched out before us and the grand staircase that led up to a few more halls. Everything upstairs aside from a single lantern at the very top of the stairs was swathed in darkness. " _That way_ ," she pointed up, "is kinda perfect."

Kenshin's grip on my hand tightened, and he stepped in front of me suddenly, drawing my eyes to his. "Let's go back," he said, using his other hand to cup my cheek tenderly. "There are a lot of other games we can still play before bed."

Misao's delighted squeal was giddier than I'd ever heard her. "Ohmy _gawd_ , are you actually scared, Red?"

"Of course not," he said evenly. "I just know that Kaoru will castrate me when she sobers up and realizes that I let her go deeper into the mansion."

"You're probably right," I agreed. The moment of clarity that rested sweetly upon my shoulders was beautiful and insightful… and I wanted _absolutely nothing_ to do with it. "But... first I was afraid. I was petrified." I said, shrugging out of Kenshin's hold, stepping around him, and pointing at the elegant staircase.

There was another squeal from behind me, but the owner of the voice caught up quickly enough and bounced beside me. "Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side!" The voice was Sano's, and my eyes filled yet again with overjoyed tears. We latched onto each other and ignored everyone else's groans (and Misao's cheers) as we strode forth, continuing to sing louder and louder.

"Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die, OH NO, NOT I! I WILL SURVIVE!"

Sauntering confidently to the top of the stairs, Sano and I screamed out the last of the chorus, took a moment to dance wildly, and then looked around. It was far darker than it seemed from the first level, and the shadows latched onto any light they could wrap around, consuming it hungrily. The hall that led to the sides were perfectly straight, only turning deeper in once they reached the edge of the outer structural wall. The corridor that touched the stairs led straight into the heart of the building, and a light draft pulled at Sano and I, making us shiver slightly.

"MEGS'N I'll EXPLORE THAT'UN!" Sano proclaimed, grabbing Megumi's hand just as she reached the top of the stairs and wasted no time before launching them both down the center hallway.

"So help me, you idiot!" Megumi squawked at him. "If you make me ruin my new shoes, Kenshin won't be the only one castrated!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" Sano giggled, and then they were both out of sight, with only Sano's laughter and fading flashlight beams indicating they had ever even been there.

"Good luck, you two!" Misao grinned at Kenshin and I before latching onto Aoshi's arm and dragging him to the right.

Feeling an adventurous grin pull at my lips, I nodded resolutely, fished around for Kenshin's hand, and started strolling forward, beyond delighted at having the song stuck in my head.

I made it a step and a half before my arm dragged backward and my torso was pulled along with it. Confused, I met Kenshin's eyes again, and boy, did he _not_ look thrilled. "Koishi." His grip on my hand tightened, and he stepped closer to place his other hand firmly on my hip. "I don't think we should do this."

"Don't be ridiculous," I scoffed. "Weren't you the one who assured me nothing would happen?"

"Yes. But we can win this by simply staying downstairs in the receiving room. The others will imagine something in there," he said, nodding ominously to the blackened heart of the mansion, "and they'll go running out within ten minutes. If we stay downstairs, we'll have front row seats to the most beautiful sights ever, don't you think?"

His point was solid. "… _buttt_ … when in Rome...!" I grinned, tugging away again. "Unless you really are chicken?"

A hardness set into his pupils and his shoulders popped backward stiffly. His serious stance. "Promise you won't castrate me."

I laughed. "Promise."

And then we were off, headed down the left hallway with a pair of sporadically-moving beams as our only guides.


	43. Makoto Mansion—Part III

**Makoto Mansion—Part III**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

Sauntering along the pitch black hallway and trying to ignore my slight annoyance that Kenshin's death grip on my hand was _severely_ cramping my glorious dance moves, we continued onward.

The upstairs hall was much like what we had already seen downstairs. Wooden beams lined the floors perfectly, and dark panels stretched along the walls, sometimes divided by ornate paintings and opened screen doors.

The only real difference that my drunken mind cared to note was how utterly _dark_ it was. It was like we were walking through a massive bottle of black ink. The hallway seemed to laugh at the pathetic beams that sailed from our flashlights, and aside from helping us not walk into walls, the flashlights were remarkably useless.

"Huge lanterns would have been a better idea," Kenshin whispered close to my ear. There was an edge to his voice, but I couldn't tell if he was frustrated with the lack of light or my continued dancing.

I'd have to make it up to Sano. The magnitude of his genius for bringing beer—and _that much of it_ —was insurmountable. And the notion of using _Sano_ and _genius_ in the same sentence made me snort loudly.

"I mean, at least if there is something lurking around, we won't be able to see it," I offered, but the notion only made Kenshin grip my hand harder.

"There is nothing lurking around." His voice was stiff, and I wasn't sure if he was trying to convince me or himself.

"Let's look in some of these rooms!" I skipped along to the closest door and slid it open, swinging my flashlight around the room and finding it spirit-less. Taking comfort in that, I stepped in and looked around, marveling at the beautifully-carved cabinets and the freshly-dusted trinkets gleaming happily as I leaned down to inspect them.

We explored several more rooms, and came to the conclusion that we were in one of the sleeping wings. The rooms to the left of the hallway we were in lined the outer edge of the building, and some of them had small windows that allowed downright haunting beams of moonlight to cast the spaces in ethereal glows. Moving from those rooms back into the black hallway always sent a chill down my spine, but I forced myself to overcome it by trying to keep track of all the things we'd seen so far.

We approached another door on the right, and I pulled it open and directed my light inside. Instead of the beam going clear across the room like it had every other time, it instead landed on something large and pale and close and _moving—_

A horrified shriek fled my lips and I flailed wildly for a moment before scrambling backward, wide-eyed and feeling both tense and boneless at the same time. I was very quickly pushed behind Kenshin as he protectively surged forth, gripping his flashlight remarkably like a katana in both hands. Or maybe a battle axe.

" _Holy shit_ ," the thing said in a high-pitched squeal, its voice tight and cracking as it broke into… _laughter_?!

Peering out from behind Kenshin, I aimed my light at the beast, only to find Sano on the ground, curled up and clutching himself as he literally cried in deep, hearty laughter. Megumi was a bit farther back in the room, but she was similarly gripping her sides and doubled over in a fit of throaty cackles that were so deep they made her sound like a man. Had it seriously been funny enough for Megumi to actually _relinquish_ her womanly elegance like this?

"What the hell?!" I shouted, maneuvering around Kenshin and glowering at them. "How did you even get over here?!"

Sano was too busy trying not to pee himself, but Megumi had enough presence of mind to surrender her hand long enough to point at the opposite wall. I followed her direction with my flashlight, and the beam of light barely illuminated an opened doorway at the edge of the room. Apparently, some of the rooms between the left hallway Kenshin and I had taken, and Sano and Megumi's middle hallway connected.

"Come on," Kenshin said, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me along, but Sano's strangled pleas stopped us.

"Ya… ya ser-osly… _oh MAN_!" After another minute of laughter, he pushed himself to his knees and with great difficulty, pulled his arms away from his stomach. Twin pairs of flashlight beams discovered a white, rectangular strip of paper attached to his shirt. "Ya tried… ta ex… exor… oh man, I can't…"

Realizing I really had tried to exorcise him like the errant spirit I had thought he was, I pulled myself from Kenshin's grasp, stomped over to Sano, and slapped another ofuda right onto his forehead, feeling slightly better at the glorious strangled _"uunnff!"_ that left his lips.

"Idiot!" I hissed, marched back to Kenshin, grabbed his hand, and walked away with him.

We plodded down the hall for what must have been a full minute before finally slowing down. Kenshin pulled me to a stop, and I was enveloped in his arms in a heartbeat. "I'm impressed, Koishi," he said close to my ear before placing a light kiss there.

"You know I can take care of myself," I murmured, enjoying the way his hands smoothed up and down my back. After a moment, I felt my heart rate slowing back to normal.

"Oh, I never doubted that," he confided. "It's just… I was fine with us staying downstairs because if anything dangerous did happen, I could get you out in seconds. Up here, though—"

His shoulders were so tense underneath my fingers that I massaged them lightly as I pulled away just enough to look at him. "We're fine. We've been in here for hours—if anything else was in here with us, we would have known by now. And it's not like we're lost or anything. The hallway is completely straight, so if we did need to run out, even I could make it."

His lips twitched in barely suppressed amusement. "You _are_ pretty drunk."

"Exactly," I nodded firmly. "So let me enjoy my grand exploration while I can, and maybe I won't have a panic attack in the morning when I realize you allowed this to happen."

Kenshin closed his eyes and groaned, but I felt his muscles easing up and watched his lips pull into a strained smile. A definite improvement. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

"Yup! And you know what else is unbelievable? How much I suddenly have to tinkle."

It might have been due to the insufficient lighting, but I could have sworn his cheeks reddened. I grabbed his hand and yanked him further down the hall before he could splutter out a reply. "Mission Toilet Hunt—engage!"

"W—wait!" Kenshin said. "Don't you think we should just go back downstairs? We know where the bathroom is down there."

"But that's so far awayyyy!"

"Better to head for that one instead of hoping there might be one up here."

"Pshhtt," I intelligently replied. "Of course there's one up here."

I continued dragging him along for a few moments until reason started to sink in. "Uh-oh…"

The deliberate pause before Kenshin's strangled "What?" made me laugh.

"No, I didn't pee myself." He released a relieved puff of breath. "Did they have upstairs plumbing back when this place was built?"

"I'm not sure," Kenshin admitted. "We really should go back."

"I mean, Misao said they restored the building after it burnt down, but there's no telling. Didn't they have outhouses back then? But if there's a bathroom and toilet inside downstairs, wouldn't it make sense to have one up here, too?" We continued along, and I ignored most of Kenshin's protests as I poked my head in various doorways that could have passed for potential water closets.

I was met with no success, but I was too determined and it was already far too late to turn around. And I had three _fabulous_ songs stuck in my head that made it impossible for me to stop dancing about for any extended period of time. Which made me need to pee more.

Just as I was about to place my hand on another door to slide it open, I heard a light shuffling sound from within. Narrowing my eyes at the paper screen, I deadpanned, "Sano. If you jump out at me again, I swear I will attack your damn rooster hair with _very_ sharp shears."

My words enticed very Sano-esque giggles to splutter forth from behind the door. He seemed to hold it together well enough until a light _thap!_ sounded out, followed by a feminine whisper. Sano lasted half a second before he broke into another fit of hysterical laughter. "But I could'a made'er pee'erself!" he choked, and it actually sounded like he was crying again. The proclamation made Megumi snort, and soon enough they were both laughing as hard as they had the first time.

"He doesn't remember this," I quietly told Kenshin as I stormed off, dragging him along with me, "but last year the two of us went out drinking and he had so much vodka that he begged me to find him a karaoke bar."

Kenshin's voice came out slightly higher-pitched than normal. " _Please_ tell me you took pictures," he pleaded.

I looked at him, insulted. "Of course I didn't take pictures. That strictly goes against Sano Code. I took _video._ "

The thought made Kenshin immediately chuckle darkly. "That's my Kaoru."

I grinned and returned my gaze to the hallway. "Ohmygod," I breathed. Kenshin was immediately at the ready again, but I ignored him as I ran forward and tugged on a door that was notably different from the rest. "YES!" I nearly cried before throwing myself in the room and shutting the door before Kenshin could dive in with me. I could have cried at the sight of the toilet and sink. _Cried._

I emerged much happier and danced to Kenshin's side at the other side of the hallway. "It turns to the right about a dozen meters ahead," he informed me, throwing his flashlight beam down the corridor. "Let's head back."

My lips were already parting in protest—I _really_ wanted to keep exploring—but a scuffling directly around the corner where the hallway turned silenced my objection. Anger sparked to life, and I clenched my fingers tightly around my flashlight and my other hand in a fist as I stomped past Kenshin. "Sano, I swear on all you love, your hair is _gone._ Forget the shears. I'm taking clippers to your head and shaving you bald!"

It was the cold horror in Kenshin's voice as he called out my name that sent the first wave of gooseflesh rushing down my arms and legs. Feeling true concern, I tried to draw to a stop, but I was so angry at Sano that my quick momentum didn't slow down until I reached the wall in front of me. The hallway opened up to the right, but I knew Kenshin was rushing at me, so my attention was drawn to him and to bracing myself for the impact of him latching onto me. My mosh-senses sparked to life and I shifted my footing half a second before he collided with my back, which combined with his arms curling around me, spared us from crashing face-first into the wall.

The scuffling to the right shifted abruptly into silence, and then a _loud_ bang from a LOT farther down the hall echoed back at us. It sounded like someone had dropped something enormous onto the wooden floor.

My heart was already beating wildly in my throat as Kenshin and I simultaneously whipped our heads and flashlights in that direction.

At first there was pure darkness, though unlike our hallway that was simply very creepy, the aura in this wing was bone-chilling and soaked in oppressive, icy coldness. There was nothing... until Kenshin's searching beam of light finally settled on something just at the edge of the range of his flashlight, which was right around where I had estimated the bang had come from.

White clothing was the first thing I noticed, simply because it was so bright against the surrounding darkness. It felt like my eyes were glued to the strange, one-sleeved outfit for minutes, but I knew that maybe only a second had passed before I was able to tear my gaze upward to meet the pale face of a man in a black headband that kept his wildly tall hair from his black eyes.

Just the sight of him—someone so clearly _not_ supposed to be there—made my heart throb so harshly that I thought it might actually break through my ribs. But then he _moved toward us_ and I completely lost it. He had been about a few hundred paces away, but in two steps, he had covered half that distance. He lifted his foot for a hasty third step, but I didn't get to see how much closer he made it, because I was suddenly in Kenshin's arms and we were flying back down the hallway—

The hallway that Sano had just tumbled into. "YOU AIN'T GON' SHAVE MY HEAD!" he shouted, and realized belatedly that we had already zipped past him and Megumi. "What the fu—"

It was at moment that my lungs began functioning again, and I sucked in a strangled breath that erupted into a scream loud enough to finally match my mental shrieking. I wasn't sure if it was my scream that made Sano finally move, or if he was foolish enough to catch a glimpse of the man, but two new shouts from behind us were quickly accompanied by pounding footfalls.

My grip on Kenshin's neck must have been uncomfortable, but I didn't dare release him, for fear that we would somehow be separated. My other hand tremblingly aimed the flashlight to help illuminate the hallway for Kenshin.

We were almost to the end when he stopped abruptly. I had just enough time to whip my head forward and watch something that looked a lot like spilled ink rise upward from the ground. My eyes took in the sight of two legs forming—ankle-high boots and what looked like purple hakama—but Kenshin was already turning away before the full image could burn itself into my nightmares.

We raced through the room Sano and Megumi had used to scare me the first time, and within seconds, Kenshin slid into the middle hallway. Turning right, he rushed forth and then I was bouncing up and down painfully as he sailed down the stairs.

"What the hell?!" Misao shouted from the top of the staircase. She must have heard our screams and had raced over to see what was wrong, but as Megumi shrieked at them to run, Misao's questions died.

Kenshin and I made it outside in what must have been record time. Like a cheetah, he flew down the hill and didn't slow until we were halfway across the parking lot. With trembling hands, he eased me to my feet, but neither of our legs functioned well enough to stand, so we crumpled into a heap of limbs as he dragged my head into his chest and clutched me fiercely.

It was from that vantage point that I saw the others racing down the hill. Sano and Megumi were pale and panting and their eyes were widened in horror. Clearly they had seen enough to know the true meaning of fear, but only genuine confusion was displayed across Misao's and Aoshi's faces.

"What the hell happened?" Misao shrieked as she came to a stop beside us, her panic clearly stemming from not understanding. I'd known that what I had seen couldn't have been some elaborate hoax, but I hadn't been ready to fully rule out foul play from the short woman until that moment. She legitimately had no role in anything we had seen.

Megumi had been bent over with her hands planted on her knees, but she finally caught her breath and stood upright. "Honestly, Misao," she hissed in severe irritation. "You could have told us there were people in there. We would never have gone exploring if we had known we could wake anyone."

Misao's silence was far too drawn out, but when she finally spoke, her voice was calm and frank. "We were the only ones in there, Megs."

"Oh, cut the shit, Misao," Megumi grated harshly, and my eyes widened. Megumi rarely cursed, so any time a profane word slid from her mouth, we knew she was serious. "They probably think we're insane. And how can they possibly fall asleep again after all that noise? We need to all go back and apologize for acting like lunatics."

"No one is going back in there," Kenshin said darkly, and I felt his muscles tense around me.

Sano smartly kept his gaze riveted to the mansion, but the three other pairs of eyes flung over to us. Megumi looked horrified at Kenshin's serious expression, and Misao's lips slowly curved into an open-mouthed smile. "You guys seriously saw people in there?!"

"What did you see?" Aoshi asked quietly.

I covered Kenshin's lips with my shaking fingers before he could utter a response. I was grateful for the alcohol in my blood, but I was sobering quickly. "No. We are _not_ talking about this here. We're getting the hell away from this place. NOW."

" _Ohmygod_!" Misao squealed, bouncing up and down. "You guys really did see something! This is great!" And then without warning, she pulled forth a folded photocopy of a painting. It was shoved in our faces before we could scramble away, and though I squeezed my eyes shut, I caught a glimpse of a horribly familiar white outfit with one long sleeve.

Kenshin and I fought to gain our footing to get away from the maniac, and we shouted angrily all the while to _burn_ the picture.

"No freaking way!" Misao squealed. "Which one did you see? The woman, Yumi, is the one most people have reported seeing. Was it her? People say they hear her calling to her lover, Shishio. Did you hear her?"

"STOP!" I screeched, covering my ears forcefully.

Megumi scowled at Misao and snatched the paper from her hands. "You can't be serious—" but her voice quickly faded and was replaced with something akin to horror. "How old is this picture?"

"Well, _this_ picture was scanned a few weeks ago, but the original painting was done up back when the original mansion was built. These were Makoto's rebels! This one here is Makoto."

A strangled squeak drew everyone's attentions to Sano, who had been remarkably quiet until that moment. He was standing stiff as a board with his eyes fixed on the dining room we had played cards in for hours. We had left the candles burning during our excursion, fully intending on going back and spending as much of the night there as possible. The windows of the room could be seen from where we were standing, and we could see the light shining through the paper barrier. And _effing SHADOWS_ MOVING BACK AND FORTH IN THE ROOM! One of them stopped abruptly in the center of the window, and though it was shut and there was no way it could have seen outside, the person looked like he was facing them.

And then all of the dozen or so candles went out entirely.

"GET IN THE FUCKING CAR!" I screeched, racing everyone to the car Kenshin had rented for the occasion. We all threw ourselves in, and Kenshin was already reversing before the last door was shut. "FLOOR IT!" I shouted at him, diving across him to grab onto his safety belt and plug it in place. The pile of limbs in the back seat surged around for a few seconds before they figured themselves out and then all of us were shouting at Kenshin to drive faster, _damn it_.

"Shishou," Kenshin kept saying. "Shishou. We'll stay with Shishou."

"Uncle Hiko," Sano finally spluttered, relief finally coating his tone. "Yeah. Uncle Hiko. Good idea. He'll protect us. Uncle fucking Hiko. Yeah. Yeah."

The rest of us were silent while Kenshin and Sano all but chanted the mountainous man's name. We made it back to the reassuring town at the edge of the forest, and then hooked a right onto a lighted highway. _Lighted._ And it was glorious. There were other people driving around us! Other live humans who gave me weird looks when they noticed my head sticking out the window, staring at them. Staring because they were people. Live and driving and _normal._

After the chants of _Shishou_ and _Uncle Hiko_ faded out, the wind rushing past the open windows provided enough solace for us to finally calm down. We rolled the windows up and breathed a sigh of relief. We were out and safe and not being followed and everything was going to be alright.

"So," Misao said, her voice accompanied by a soft rustling of paper. "Which one was that dude in the window?"


	44. First Night

**A/N:** I'm watching FMA:B again and I'm nerding out pretty hard and I've come to realize that I NEED Ed's pocket watch. But I've spent about 5 solid hours looking for one that actually looks like the one in the manga, and have only found ONE version that's selling for over $1,000. Do any of you know of one that looks close enough and doesn't have random quotation marks after the date?

* * *

 **First Night**

*Kenshin's POV*

Feeling exhaustion weigh my bones down, I puffed out a breath as I pulled on the cotton t-shirt I'd brought with me into the bathroom. My hands thoughtlessly shifted my towel from the countertop back to my head and I ran it repeatedly across the thick hair that ran askew down my back. When the towel had no more dry spots left, I discarded it and initiated the tedious process of brushing the tangles out.

It had been a long day. A long _week_ , really, but all of the excitement was finally slowing down, and I relished the opportunity to collect my thoughts and reflect on the whirlwind that was the past five days. Misao's announcement. Kaoru's panicked emotions. Tight deadlines at work. Very carefully planning out the Services of Protection and Comfort. Begging Hiko to let us seek refuge with him last night. And on top of all of that, having my entire belief system regarding the supernatural thrown into question.

I was exhausted, but as I placed the brush on the counter and made my way into Kaoru's living room, I was met with a sight that stopped me mid-step and made everything else fade into the ether of insignificance.

There, sprawled out on her plush couch, was the most amazing woman I'd ever met. She was on her back and curved slightly to the right, with one arm curled around her head and the other planted gently on her belly. Her eyes were shut, and her breathing was even in contented sleep.

I'd never seen her sleeping before, and I was caught in place, staring at the way her eyelids peacefully covered her eyes and the way the left corner of her lip curled upward slightly. Her body had come to rest in a way that looked both painful and comfortable at the same time, and I wondered if many others could pull off the pose with such ease.

It took several moments for me to snap out of my trance, but when I did, I noticed immediately that the inside of my head–which had been swirling with so many heavy thoughts in the bathroom–now felt light, relaxed, and _free_.

I loved her. I loved her so much it hurt every time I forced myself to hold the words back. I tried to make up for that silence by drowning her in kisses and grasping her as tightly as I could every chance I got. I knew it was still too soon to utter the words—she'd only just gotten used to the idea of referring to me as her boyfriend—so I contented myself by plotting ways to win her over. Permanent ways that included expensive rings and unbreakable promises.

Stepping closer and closer, I knelt beside her and placed a gentle kiss atop her nose.

She stirred slightly, then mewled and curled in on herself even more. With a light puff, she fell back into the abyss of deep sleep, leaving my chest swelling in warmth and affection.

I would have been happy to leave her where she was, had I not been cognizant of the fact that if she spent the whole night like that she'd wake up with sore muscles. So, opting to spare her that discomfort, I planted a few more kisses around her mouth as I slipped my hands underneath her back and knees. "I'm moving you to your bed, koishii," I whispered softly against her forehead as I pulled her up and headed for her room.

She barely stirred, so it was relatively easy for me to slip her into the bed and tuck the covers around her. Dragging them up to her chin, I leaned down and placed a few light kisses on her cheek and nose. "Sleep well, sweetling," I bade before pulling away and heading back to the living room.

A soft puff of exasperation stopped me in my tracks, and I turned just in time to see her lids parting exhaustedly and the blanket by her side moving upward slightly. She was reaching for me, and I grinned as she grunted at me. "No," she said, providing no clarification to indicate what she meant, and then grunted again.

Overwhelmed by how adorable she was in her drowsiness, I stepped back to her side and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Get some rest," I told her. "I'll sleep on the couch."

The protesting sound she made as I pulled away again would have been comical, had it not been so desperate. I stopped moving, and she parted her lids again, just enough to blearily focus on me. Grogginess made her voice raspy and so endearingly cute that I was almost more focused on the sound than the actual words she murmured. "Stay with me." She freed her hand and sleepily wrapped her fingers around mine.

Feeling a lump spring to my throat, I spluttered for a moment before collecting myself and gently prying her hand loose. We'd agreed that for the sake of preserving both of our sanities, I'd sleep on her couch for the week, and if there were no ghost-induced incidences, I would go back to my place.

As much as I wanted to wrap my arms around her and drag her into my chest, I was keenly aware of how dangerous her wrath would be when she woke up. "Don't worry," I whispered, and then kissed her fingers tenderly. "I'll be on the couch if you need anything, OK?"

"No." Her fingers tightened around mine and she tried to speak in as few words as possible. "Services… comfort… sleep here."

I swallowed thickly. Refusing her drowsy mumbles was one thing, but she'd invoked the Services, and I'd shoot myself in the foot before giving her reason to doubt my promises to her. "In that case, I'll be right back."

I released her hand and left the room to make sure all the doors and windows were locked and shut off all the lights. A minute later, I was standing beside her bed. "Are you sure, koishii?"

"Get in this bed, Kenshin, before I pummel you into it."

Grinning, I walked around to the other side and slid in beneath the covers. My arms wove around her and before she had time to change her mind, I had her tucked securely against me. Placing more kisses on the top of her head, I felt her sigh serenely before she nuzzled against my neck and fell asleep again.

Everything about that moment made my chest swell the point that I actually had to restrain myself from laughing in mirth. And I knew that I was going to do everything in my power to make sure we fell asleep like this every single night for the rest of our lives.


	45. Shower

**Shower**

With baited breath, Kaoru's fingers closed around the door handle, and she mentally prayed not to be heard. Carefully, she turned the handle and felt her lips rise up in triumph when the door parted from the frame soundlessly. Sucking in a prepatory breath, Kaoru rushed in through the small crack she'd created, and whipped the wood back in place as quickly as she could. At the last second, she pulled it to a stop and eased the door back into place, feeling victory surge from within her chest as she felt it click shut silently.

She paused long enough to allow her eyes to adjust to the candle-lit steam that welcomed her to the sauna that was Misao's bath time. With a wall directly to her left, a dual-sink countertop to her right, and a plush, sound-absorbing rug beneath her toes, Kaoru mentally threw herself a dance party. Misao's boisterous singing hadn't faltered, and as she reached a particularly long note of Kaoru's favorite Backstreet Boys song, the undetected intruder stepped forward.

From behind a drawn shower curtain half a dozen steps away, Kaoru heard water sloshing around as her friend melted into the chorus. She was _dancing_ and that made everything all the more glorious.

With painfully slow and overly-cautious steps, Kaoru inched closer the hanging rubber duck-printed fabric and took a deep breath as she reached the edge of the curtain. She'd waited for over a week to finally enact this revenge, and she felt her fingers trembling in anticipation. This was a fraction of the retaliation that was to come, but it was a _fantastic_ start and Kaoru had absolutely no reservations as she repositioned the projector that had been tightly tucked underneath her arm to her hands.

Jabbing her elbow deliberately against the button situated in her pocket, Kaoru stood on her toes and lifted her hands high enough above her head to tilt the projector over the curtain rod and down into the steamy, dimly-lit bathtub. She bit her lip tightly as she counted the seconds until her pre-recorded ghoulish screech blared from the speaker in her pocket. Right as it went off, she pushed the button on the projector, bringing it to life and casting the image of a very _dead,_ veryclose-up image of the damned Makoto dude Misao had been researching like crazy ever since _that night_.

Crying out over the cheerful music streaming from Misao's phone, the recorded scream was replicated remarkably well from within the bathtub. Kaoru knew that Misao's first scream was an instinctive reaction from being startled so abruptly. The second scream was what Kaoru was really looking forward to, but no matter how many times she'd imagined the traitor's screeches bounding gloriously off the tiled walls, the scream that actually reached Kaoru's ears was even more terrified.

As she choked on her tightly-wrapped glee, Kaoru forced herself to retract her arms and shut off the projector. Predictably, the door slammed open a few heartbeats later and Aoshi tumbled inside, and Kaoru turned just in time to witness his eyes widen in confusion. In the tall man's momentary inability to comprehend Kaoru's presence in the bathroom opposite from the one she'd excused herself to moments before, Kaoru scurried past him and bolted into the kitchen where Kenshin had been successfully distracting Aoshi.

They locked eyes for half a second before scampering out of the apartment, leaving peals of laughter echoing behind them as they raced away from their victims.


	46. Pizza Tuesday

**A/N:** I enjoy picking on Sano way too much. XD

* * *

 **Pizza Tuesday**

Sano's eyes dropped to the large square boxes in his hands and his stomach immediately grumbled in response. "Oh, you're gonna get it," he whispered to the box. "And if you think you'll survive the night, you're sadly— _deliciously_ —mistaken."

He lifted his eyes for just a moment, and saw someone coming out of the building he was heading toward. "Oh! Hold up!" he said, rushing forward and sending a dashing grin at the college-aged woman who had paused long enough to hold the door for him. "Thanks, missy," he told her as he slid sideways through the door as he nodded his head appreciatively.

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to take the stairs. More time to breathe in the cheesy aroma, he reasoned, and quickly fell into a pizza trance during the ascent, only stopping on the correct floor completely out of habit.

Balancing the boxes precariously in one hand, he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his keyring. With quick fingers, Sano found Kaoru's key and shoved it expertly into her lock. Seconds later, he was swinging the door open and strutting inside as he bumped his rear backward against the door to shut it.

Sano kicked off his shoes as he drew in a breath to call out to Kaoru's attention, but was stopped in his tracks when he heard _it._

There was no mistaking it. Nothing else sounded like that. Eyes widening at the sound of soft feminine gasping, Sano very nearly dropped the pizzas, unsure if he should bolt back home and make nice with a large bottle of sake, or run over and kick some ass.

How could she—

How could Kenshin—

THAT WAS HIS SISTER, DAMNIT! Gross!

"Kaoru?" he called out loudly, admittedly impressed with his unwavering tone that broke the air. Feeling strengthened by it (and _not_ feeling trapped by the fact that his shoes were already off), he strode forward, gripping the boxes tightly.

Sano turned the corner and quickly deposited the pizza boxes onto the kitchen counter that was immediately to his right. As the boxes touched the surface, Sano took a bracing breath and swiveled his head further to the right to get a full view of the living room.

There, less than two dozen paces away, was a truly horrible sight that burned itself into his retinas. Kenshin was kneeling on the couch, facing the armrest. And though he had a shirt on, he was moving forward and backward rhythmically, and throatier moans were streaming out from below him. The back of the couch blocked Kaoru from view, and if there was one thing Sano was grateful for at the moment, it was that he couldn't see her.

Horrified and so red-cheeked that it almost hurt, Sano blurted, "WHAT THE HELL, MAN?!"

It was Pizza Tuesday, damn it! A long-established tradition of deliciousness that was second to none! Sano showed up every damn Tuesday at six-o-clock _on the nose_ with pizzas in hand, and Kaoru was always eagerly awaiting him with the drinks and a movie! Not once in three years had either of them forgotten! This was IMPORTANT!

Kenshin had the decency to look up and stop his motions, and he offered Sano a light smile. He was about to say something, but Kaoru's voice from the other side of the couch silenced him. "Don't stop."

"But—" Kenshin attempted.

"I said don't stop," Kaoru deadpanned.

"Right," Kenshin agreed, beginning to move his hands again and keeping his gaze fixed on Sano. "What brings you by?"

"YOU GOTTA BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" Sano screeched, averting his furious gaze and feeling his cheeks ignite. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!"

"What's with the yelling?" Kaoru panted out. She sniffed audibly and a smile appeared in her tone. "You got the pizzas. You're the best."

Completely at a loss for words, Sano threw his arms around wildly as he spluttered nonsense. Then he turned and stomped away, finally settling on shouting an impressive stream of curses as he slammed the front door behind him.

"What a child…" Kaoru groaned, lamenting how Kenshin's hands stopped, and protesting more as he slowly climbed off of her. "No, please don't stop," she begged.

"He seems upset," Kenshin observed.

Kaoru sighed, but knew he was right. She stretched lazily and then grabbed his extended hand to help herself up. Her wide smile and droopy eyes revealed just how well Kenshin had dispersed the tension in her shoulders and back. "What could he possibly have against back massages?"

"No clue."

"He left the pizzas," Kaoru said, eyeing the boxes that were perched innocently on her countertop.

"And he forgot his shoes. He'll be back for them any second."

"Doubtful. Pizza is far more important to him than shoes. If he left food, he's not coming back," Kaoru reasoned, returning her gaze to Kenshin's. "You could catch up to him faster."

"Yeah, yeah," he sighed, moving to retrieve his own shoes for the pursuit.

As Kenshin opened the door, Sano's tirade echoed in from the hallway and Kaoru snorted gleefully at a particularly creative series of oaths. Giggles spewing forth, she moved over to one of the far drawers in her kitchen. Kaoru reached in, pulled out a blue notepad, flipped to the page titled, "Retaliation Options: Rooster," and began writing.


	47. Cliff

**A/N:** Just so we're all on the same page, this is set two weeks after the mansion. Half the reason I stalled with this one for so long because I was originally planning on double-posting a lemony second chapter that immediately follows where this one leaves off. I wrote most of it and then decided that **_if_** I ever post it, it'll be its own little one-shot so I don't have to bump up the rating on this fic.

The other part of why I stalled is because I have to stare at a computer all day at work and my eyes decided they don't want to stay focused at the end of the day when I'm writing. Don't worry—I got stronger prescription glasses, which are great because that only succeed in making me nauseous. Thankfully, I can write with my eyes closed, so that's what I end up doing half the time. Good stuff. But anyway—sorry for the wait!

* * *

 **Cliff**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

The situation was painfully familiar, though this time Misao's smirk was twice as bright. And this time Megumi was also present, eyes gleaming at me like the scheming fox she was. I briefly felt heat warm the left side of my scalp close to my neck before being pulled away and returning nearby. Scowling at the curling iron's cord, I rolled my eyes as they continued to scheme.

"She's not lying," Megumi told Misao, her voice confident, though her expression was beyond dumbfounded.

Misao squealed again and her grin was so wide that her eyes crinkled. "I don't even know how it's freaking _possible_ , but don't worry—it will happen. Tonight."

This had me snapping back to attention and even though I felt myself stammering some half-formed denial, it sounded so awful that I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. Instead, I whimpered as Megumi topped off my glass and gave me a look that dared me to deny the extra wine.

"Listen up, Racoon," she spoke so confidently that she sucked up all of my attention—a feat in itself, given my rampaging jitters. "You will down this glass before he gets here. You will go with him without a struggle or protest. You will be your normal horribly dorky, yet endearing self. You will calm down and you will _relax_ and enjoy yourself. Understand?"

I grumbled in acknowledgement but after her sharp look, I managed an affirmative word. That still wasn't enough, so I quickly took a generous sip and glared back at her petulantly.

"Good," she finally said. "Kami knows you've both needed this night for _months._ "

"Umm— _years_!" Misao corrected emphatically.

"We've only been together for a month and a half!" I protested loudly. "Just because you two managed _that_ within the first few weeks—"

"Two dates!" Misao interposed. "One week!"

Megumi's tone was just as matter-of-fact. "Three dates. Two weeks."

"But I'm not—I'm not as _open_ as you two. Not as adventurous or bold or—"

"Kaoru. _Darling_ ," Misao asserted, putting the curling iron on my countertop and kneeling directly in front of me. "It doesn't matter if we're talking about prudish celibates—even _they_ wouldn't have the self-control to lay in bed with someone that damn sexy every night for two weeks without losing their damn minds. I have no means to even conceptualize how insane you have to be to not have slept with him yet! Seriously. My brain fizzles out halfway through the computation."

"Oh, but she has slept with him," Megumi provoked darkly. "That's _all_ she's done. For sixteen days. Tell me—how unbearably ugly and scratchy are the shirts he wears to bed every night?"

I glowered at both of them. Instead of responding, I opted to take another gulp that ended up draining half my glass. Megumi promptly topped it off again. "Would you stop that?!" I protested.

"Or are they old and dirty shirts? What horrible design is on them? What—"

"He doesn't wear a shirt to bed!" I shouted, and instantly threw my fingers over my lips, horrified by the outburst. To have actually fallen for their underhanded tactics—! How naïve was I?!

"He climbs into your bed half-nude every night," Misao screeched back, "and wraps himself around you _and all you do is SLEEP!?"_ She looked like she was short-circuiting for a moment before she ripped my wineglass from between my fingers, tipped the remainder of it down her parted lips, and swallowed loudly. "What. The. Fuck!" she bellowed, her eyes never leaving mine as she thrust her arm out to Megumi, who dutifully refilled the glass to the brim. Misao handed it back to me and the look in her eyes dared me to not to accept it.

"Ok," Megumi tried, attempted to be diplomatic as my trembling fingers wrapped around the glass' stem again. "We can all tell even with his clothes _on_ that he's built like perfection, so that can't be it. What's the deal? Does he smell? Does he have weird scars? Does he not brush his teeth?"

"No!" I cracked. "He's perfect in every way! I've accidentally seen him three times after his shower when he's going back to my room— _our room—"_ I choked hard, nearly hyperventilating, _"_ in nothing but a towel and wet hair plastered all over him! And then I have to sleep next to him every night!"

" _HAVE TO?!"_

"It drives me insane! And he _knows_ because his expression will be all innocent and whatever, and then he'll take one look at me silently losing it and his eyes will go all dark. And he has to know how insanely husky his voice gets and how it makes my knees go all gooey! It takes me forever to fall asleep and he _knows_ because he'll sometimes start to massage the back of my neck just to ease the insane tension enough for me to pass out!"

Megumi took the reins, proactively keeping me from teetering into a full-on panic attack. "And he's been a perfect gentleman this whole time," she concluded.

"Yes! I—he knows how much I want him! That's never been a secret. We're intimate all the time—kissing and touching and stuff—just never _that_. So yes, he's a perfect gentleman! Perfect in every damn way!"

Misao's tone softened. "So he senses your willingness, but won't move forward until your hesitation is all gone and you give him the cue that you're ready. Do you have any idea how much willpower that would take on his part? Because he sure as hell can change your mind in like two seconds. Damn—is there any guy on this planet more patient than this?" she asked Megumi.

"What's holding you back?" Megumi pressed.

I felt myself wilting, recalling the countless times he'd looked into my eyes and I'd seen traces of affection that ran so deep that they left me breathless. The tenderness in his touches. The way he held me close and caressed my shoulder while we watched TV. The way he sometimes squeezed me tightly, as if praying to never have to let me go.

He loved me. I'd have been an idiot to have not realized that.

What was holding me back? "The fall," I murmured, feeling moisture gathering at the back of my throat. "Taking even just a single step closer will send me right over the edge of the cliff and I won't be able to pick myself back up after he leaves."

Misao dropped to her knees and took my hand that wasn't clutching the wine glass. "Listen to me," she ordered softly. Our eyes clashed, and it felt like she was trying to both coax and shove me into the light of understanding. "Kenshin is not like Enishi. Them leaving us was not your fault. Kenshin is not them. Forgive yourself, damn it, and move on. Red is the real deal. You've been making him trip over his own feet continuously for _months_ and even the blind could see that he'd sooner starve than leave you. And even though you're too scared shitless to acknowledge your feelings for him, they're already there. You've already tumbled off the damn cliff—try as you will to deny it—and the only thing you can do now is let him catch you at the bottom. You deserve the brightest happiness, and Red will sure as shit give it to you on a silver platter."

I felt my heart pounding and spinning so forcefully that I couldn't decide if it felt more like it was going to helicopter me into the sky or make me vomit everywhere. "But—I loved Enishi and that was hell to get over! And this makes that seem like an absolute joke! I won't be able to survive it this time. I won't be able to—"

"Shit," Megumi murmured, quickly pushing herself off my bed and grabbing onto my shoulders gently. Once she'd coaxed me to look into her chocolate eyes, she removed a hand and gently thumbed away the tears that had escaped. "Calm down," she said gently. "You're going to survive it because he's not going anywhere. You've been too busy losing it to notice that he's already built his home around you. You probably couldn't chase him away if you tried."

"But—"

Her eyes were kind, yet held a sharpness that I couldn't fight. "Ask him to give you every star in the universe. I dare you. He'd sign up for the space program within an hour."

I released a quivering breath, trying to gauge the honesty in her eyes, even though her voice was indisputable. When she held my gaze, I swallowed thickly and downed the rest of my wine.

When I blinked Megumi back into focus, she was grinning. She patted my shoulder one final time and smirked as she returned to her perch on the edge of my bed. "Don't worry. You _are_ going to go up in flames. They're just not the kind of flames that invoke fear."


	48. Two Days Later

**_A/N_ :** YEEESSHHH! So sorry for the horrendously long delay! I won't bore you with the details—just rest assured that despite a bunch of legit setbacks, I will finish this fic! There are about 5 chapters left—one of which is fully written and two are partially written. No worries. I'm finishing this up in the next couple of months if it kills me. In the meantime, you might find the 'real' chapter 48 of interest. It's in the form of a one-shot called _Murder,_ and can be found via my profile. It's my first ever citrusy writing, so hopefully it's not too dreadful!

Special thanks to Kinsutenekochan and the nameless guest who checked in on me to make sure I was still alive!

This one is all a three-way text message conversation. I've never written anything like this, either, but I got the idea and couldn't resist. :D

* * *

 **Two Days Later**

 _Kaoru:_ YOU MISCREANTS!

 **Misao:** OHMYGODYOUGUYSDIDIT!

 **Misao:** AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 _Kaoru:_ Shut up! That's not the point!

Megumi: It's about damn time…

 _Kaoru:_ YOU TWO SET ME UP!

 **Misao:** Um…

 **Misao:** DUH!

 **Misao:** How the hell else were you going to finally make sweet, sweet love?

 _Kaoru:_ Ohmygawd shut uppppppp!

 **Misao:** No. We took over the second you admitted to sleeping in the same bed as him for 16 days without actually _sleeping with him._

Megumi: Exactly. That nonsense had to end. You would have done the same for us.

 _Kaoru:_ We haven't left my place in two days!

 **Misao:** asAUSDHSUHDWEJ AW AWEU

 **Misao:** I FKN KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!

 **Misao:** TELL HER, MEGS! I SAID THIS WOULD HAPPEN!

 **Misao:** OMG

 **Misao:** OMG

Megumi: She really did…

 **Misao:** I TOLD YOU THAT WAS WHY SHE WASN'T ANSWERING HER PHONE!

 **Misao:** EEEEEEEEEEEEE!

 _Kaoru:_ This is all your fault! You two loaded my fridge and now every time I try to get us to go out for a bit, he says that we can't let the food go to waste!

Megumi: Sounds thoughtful to me. Sounds like you should be thanking your gloriously helpful best friends.

 **Misao:** Exactly. Waste not…

Megumi: And I don't see the problem, anyway. We gave you food. Kicked down the remnants of that horribly irritating wall of yours. Gave you two an excuse to do nothing but each other _all weekend…_

 **Misao:** Yeah… good point.

 **Misao:** WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON YOUR PHONE?!

 **Misao:** YOU SHOULD BE ON HIM!

 _Kaoru:_ He's cooking! I'm picking out a moviasd a9sdu

 _Kaoru:_ asjd 8q9wue 3-4t

 _Kaoru:_ rioj q0as9gdfjif

 _Kaoru:_ Thank you, ladies, for your thoughtfulness indaisj sd

 _Kaoru:_ For filling her kitchen with groceries. I'll be able to have her all to myself for another few days

 **Misao:** OMG

 **Misao:** *nosebleed*

 **Misao:** YOU'RE WELCOME, RED!

 _Kaoru:_ djgi eg40

Megumi: Hide her phone!

 **Misao:** WE'RE ROOTING FOR YOU, RED!

 **Misao:** YESH! HIDE THE PHONE!

 **Misao:** We won't bother you until tomorrow.

 **Misao:** Shit… wait… don't tell her that.

 **Misao:** Whoops…

Megumi: Good job…

 **Misao:** Ok. This one is my fault.

 **Misao:** Might as well come clean and say we're all stopping by tomorrow with lunch.

 **Misao:** Soo….. heads up, I guess?

Megumi: Think they're ok? They haven't said anything in a while

 **Misao:** OMG I KNOW! THEY'RE TOTALLY BACK AT IT!

 **Misao:** EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 **Misao:** EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee

Megumi: Yeesh, MisMis…. We have to have another chat about your chocolate stash…

 **Misao:** YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS!

 **Misao:** …. But you're right. I _am_ running low….

Megumi: …

Megumi: It's a damn miracle I've put up with either of you for so long…


	49. Shopping Excursion

**A/N:** I haven't given poor Aoshi much of a spotlight at all, so I really enjoyed writing this one. ^.^

On a completely unrelated note, I'm about a month away from publishing the second book of my original trilogy. Since I've talked about writing and editing so much, I want to offer you, my loyal readers, a free copy of the first book. :) The first book is free until the end of April for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, but for anyone else, I can gift it to you via Amazon if you PM me your email address. Check out sunwithoutconsort(dotcom) for various excerpts to see if it's something you might be interested in.

Anyway. On to Aoshi!

* * *

 **Shopping Excursion**

In a blur of unintelligible screeching, Shinomori Aoshi was attacked by a much shorter being of pure mirth and _volume_. Taking a deep breath, he raised his arm to tentatively return the hug in an awkward pat.

"I promise I won't let you down!" Kaoru squealed as she pulled away. Her eyes were twinkling so brightly and her grin was stretched so wide across her cheeks that tears were forming.

Aoshi repressed the urge to step backward, instead opting to get straight down to business. "I've narrowed it down to four options. Two are in this store, one is in that one," he said, nodding in the direction of a famous store half a block away, "and the fourth is only available online—"

"Well, you don't want that one. You need to see it in person before you can tell!" Kaoru latched onto his wrist and dragged him through the double doors and into the relative quiet of the store. "HI!" she nearly screeched as one of the associates approached them. "This brilliant man needs an engagement ring for my best friend! Let's do this!"

Kaoru skipped after the sales associate, not noticing Aoshi pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing heavily. Fortunately, Kaoru's distracted fawning over the jewelry cases afforded him plenty of time to recover before she spun around and waved him over emphatically. "Show me the ring, Icepops!"

He lifted a brow at the unfamiliar nickname.

"Oh, _come on_ ," she gushed. " _'Mr. Glacier'_ is officially outdated! She's totally melted your heart, so I officially demote you from Glacier to Icepops!" She snorted suddenly, then broke into a fit of giggles. "ICEPOPS! OHMYGOD! IT'S SO TOTALLY PERFECT! _Ice POPS!_ Even your future kids can call you that!"

Aoshi ignored the comment, instead moving up to the engagement ring counter and peering inside for a moment before pointing. "This one, please."

The saleswoman eagerly pulled the ring out and offered it up for his inspection. Aoshi gazed at it carefully for a moment before shifting the ring toward Kaoru.

"Don't get me wrong—this is _beautiful,_ but it's not Misao's style. I think she'd like something more like this," Kaoru said, pressing her finger into the glass above one of the gleaming rings.

Aoshi's silence lasted a heartbeat before he handed the ring back to the saleswoman. "That was actually my second choice," he admitted quietly.

"YES! See! I TOLD you you'd be great at this!"

The ring in question moved from the case to the saleswoman's hands to Aoshi's and finally to Kaoru's, who held it up for close inspection. "Oh _KAMI_ , Icepops! Look at this! It's GORGEOUS! Is this a size twelve?" she asked as she slipped the ring on her finger, then squealed again when it fit perfectly. "Oh," she breathed out, momentarily speechless. "We have the same ring size. This one would fit her perfectly right out of the case, which is a _great_ sign! Oh my—!" Kaoru thrust her hand up to his face. "Can't you just imagine this on her? She'd fawn over it all day and night…"

Aoshi nodded quietly, then said, "I would appreciate you taking a look at the other two I have selected before I finalize my decision."

"Sure thing! Lead the way!"

Within 30 minutes, Aoshi had selected and purchased an engagement ring that he knew would be perfect for Misao. As Kaoru skipped elatedly down the sidewalk back to her apartment, Aoshi watched her disappear into the crowded crosswalk. When she was out of sight, he pulled out his phone, selected a contact, and pressed the green _call_ button.

"Aoshi. That was quick," a cheerful voice answered.

"Yes. She was remarkably helpful."

He could almost hear the smirk on the other end of the line. "I had no doubt she would be."

"Her ring size is twelve. Apparently the same as Misao."

Kenshin's reply was awash with devious glee. "You're a good friend, Aoshi. If all is in our favor, we'll both be married by this time next year."

"Hnn," Aoshi replied before ending the call.


	50. The Glorious Reveal

**A/N:** I recently discovered a music genre called electro swing. I was bopping along the ENTIRE flipping time I wrote and edited this. If you need something to keep you in a get-yo-shit-done kinda mood, check it out. Seriously. That is all.

* * *

 **The Glorious Reveal**

The sound of unclicking locks reached Kaoru's ears and half a moment later, a blur of pink and purple had wrapped itself around her waist in a surge of squealing glee. Unintelligible words spewed into Kaoru's ear as she swung counterclockwise with Misao's momentum.

"HE FINALLY PROPOSED, OHMYGAWD!" Misao cried into Kaoru's shoulder until they came to a stop and the gleaming bride-to-be leapt off of Kaoru and thrust her ring-adorned hand at her. "ISN'T IT GORGEOUS?!"

Laughing merrily and praising the emphatic woman, Kaoru and Kenshin allowed the bouncing blur to lead them into her and Aoshi's apartment. The man of the hour had approached the door, and he greeted the newcomers as Misao shut the door behind them.

Misao spiraled from the entryway and halfway across the kitchen. She retrieved two glasses—one stemmed with a deep red wine filled nearly to the brim, and the other short and round with a golden liquid filled halfway to the top. With amazing grace, Misao sauntered back to Kaoru and Kenshin, dancing the whole way along to a vaguely familiar electro-swing song before thrusting the glasses into her guests' hands.

Megumi appeared from around the corner, smirking at Misao's animated dance back to where she'd momentarily deposited her drink. "A toast to the future Mr. and Mrs. Shinomori!" Megumi proclaimed, holding her wineglass high.

"YESSSSSS!" Misao squealed, launching herself at Aoshi, who somehow caught her without spilling a drop of either of their drinks. His expression was neutral but his lips were curved upward very slightly and his eyes glimmered at Misao's unrestrained glee.

Kaoru, Kenshin, and Sanosuke—who'd been leaning on his forearms against the kitchen counter the whole time—raised their glasses to toast the couple, each offering brief well-wishes before gulping down their respective drinks.

Kaoru and Kenshin followed the engaged pair to the seating area and plopped down on the plush couches. "Ok," Kaoru beamed. "You already told me six times, but I need to hear it in person."

Megumi elegantly took a seat opposite Kenshin and watched as the youngest of them launched into a lively retelling of how her _super sexy hunk_ had made her dreams come true.

"—and it was chilly up there, but we could see, like, all of freaking Kyoto, and he held me close as the moon rose and whispered in my ear how much he loves me and he was touching my hands the whole time, but I didn't notice he'd slipped THIS GORGEOUS FREAKING RING," she squealed, thrusting up her hand again so the ring gleamed brightly in the light, "on my finger and he pulled up my hand so I could see it as he asked me to marry him and I shrieked so loudly that the police were about to storm the place when we were walking out."

She'd heard the story before, but Misao's wild gestures made Kaoru nearly snort her chianti all over the carpet. She just barely covered her lips as it was, and Kenshin launched himself forward in his seat to ensure that she wasn't choking. Forcefully swallowing, Kaoru gasped for air and busted out laughing. Wiping her lips, she made her way to the kitchen sink to wipe around her mouth, just in case.

As she scooped up a few napkins on her way back, Kaoru locked eyes with Sano, who oddly hadn't moved to the seating area with the rest of them. "You ok?" she asked him. He was still leaning across the counter with his arms folded in front of himself almost protectively.

His answering grin was so wide that it was almost disconcerting. "I couldn't possibly be better."

Kaoru had been about to head back to her seat beside Kenshin, but his response sent a chill down her spine. Turning about-face, she obtained one of the opened bottles of wine and topped off her glass, glaring at him the whole time.

Sipping deeply, she finally made her way back to Kenshin, who planted a reassuring kiss along her cheekbone.

It was only after Misao had fully recounted her engagement story that Sano emerged from the kitchen. He ambled to Megumi and plopped beside her, beaming widely the whole time at Kaoru, who warily held his glimmering gaze.

It was Kenshin's loud snort from beside her that made Kaoru tense. Slowly, she dragged her eyes down from Sano's mirthful orbs to his dark shirt, upon which a _very_ familiar ofuda was resolutely glued.

Spluttering, Kaoru pointed at him vehemently. "THAT IS _**NOT**_ THE SHIRT FROM THAT DAMNED MANSION!"

"Oh," Sano grinned darkly, "but it is. And this is the ofuda you tried to exorcise me with!" Tears were already forming in his eyes as he watched Kaoru's expression melt into a concoction of horror and anger.

"It really is," Megumi remarked. She was deliberately leaning away from him, but a fox-like grin had swept her lips upward. "He hasn't washed the shirt. Says he never will."

"PAYBACK FOR THE DAMN ROLLER COASTER PICTURE ON YOUR WALL!" Sano proclaimed before falling into a fit of hysterical giggles. "IMMA WEAR THIS EVERY TIME YOU LEAST EXPECT IT!"

To their credit, the others somehow bit back their laughter as Kaoru flushed and groaned several profanities.

Misao sprung to her feet then, and raised her glass again. "To the best friends ever, and to the timeless memories we create every time we're together!"


	51. The Final Bet

**A/N:** Alright. I had originally planned a couple more chapters between this and the previous one, but they would have just been fillers, and I know you're all ready for this to finally go down. So rather than waste another few weeks with nonsense, I'm just going to dive into this. Just so you know, in their time, a month or so has passed between the previous chapter and this. If you find the gap lacking, fill it in with whatever you want. That's how excited I am about FINALLY MAKING THIS HAPPEN! **Seriously.** This final part actually existed in my head a year before I even considered writing this fic, and when I realized that it actually finished this off perfectly, I was over the moon. So... without further bs, here's the last arc. :D

* * *

 **The Final Bet**

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

Cautiously, I parted my eyelids and nearly squeezed them shut again when I was met with deep lilac. Instinctively, I tensed against the body sprawled in every which way around me, and a helpless squeal broke through my lips as his fingers clenched around my ribs. "Please," I breathed, finally able to expel an actual word through my desperate panting. "I can't… anymore…"

If he launched one more damn tickle attack, I was going to castrate him in his sleep.

Kenshin must have seen the murderous glint in my eyes because his lips shifted to my ear and his warm breath tickled the sensitive flesh there. His change of tactics was even less welcome than his earlier assault. "You know my demands," he murmured lowly before caressing his lips on the edge of my cheek.

"I—"

He pulled away just enough to meet my gaze without making me go cross-eyed, but his fingers remained determinedly at my weak points. A silent threat against any attempt at escape—which wouldn't have mattered anyway, because he could have pinned me down again in seconds and tickled me senseless for the fifth time.

"You're **insane** ," I told him breathlessly.

"It's your fault," he replied easily. "You're the one who drew me in before I realized what was happening. This is only fair."

"But it's only been a few months!" I protested, feeling my chest budding in familiar panicked anxiety.

He stopped my next words by pressing his lips on mine so tenderly that I felt myself melting into the mattress. My now-predictable counterpoints neatly fluttered away as he continued kissing me with enough devotion to match his psychotic request.

"We're made for each other, koishii," he purred as he dragged his lips across my collarbone and slowly up the other side of my neck. "The length of time we've been together—or lack thereof—is not a good enough excuse." Languidly, he nuzzled his nose into my hair, then returned to plant more kisses along my ear and cheek. "Give me a real reason."

He was chasing away all rational thoughts and replacing them with heated gooseflesh that danced along my skin _and he was doing it intentionally!_

"Misao and Aoshi's wedding—"

His warm breath grazed my temple. "Although I'm not opposed to marrying you immediately, I understand why that might make you hesitate. But I need you to know," he said, pulling back again so I could see small glimmers of amber swaying closer to his pupils, "that I've been planning this for a long time. I've known you were my future within two months of meeting you." His predatory smile widened when my breath hitched. "I am very patient, koishii, so believe that I will wait however long it takes."

I felt my resolve faltering. "But we've only been dating for a few months," I repeated weakly.

"Just agree to be mine," he breathed as more amber danced with the lilac around his pupils. "Agree to marry me and be mine forever, and we'll have the ceremony whenever you're ready. I'll wait a decade, if that's how long it'll take, Kaoru, so long as I have you all to myself."

This was the fourth time he'd proposed in two weeks, and damn him, he was as stubborn as I was. I kept asserting that it was way too soon, and he kept countering that my protesting and putting off the inevitable was silly. He wanted a ring on my finger. He wanted the world to know I was his. Off limits. He wanted to wrap me up and never let me go.

His lips grazed mine again. As my veins skittered with heat, I felt all of my excuses vanish. Words bubbled to my lips before I could check them. "Bet me."

I felt the slow curve of a victorious smile against my lips before he sat up and pulled me into his lap. "What are the terms?" he asked in a way that made it clear he'd accept anything just to keep me in the corner I'd backed myself into.

"Umm," I struggled as his fingers caressed my thighs. I wasn't sure if my frazzled mind supplied the hastily verbalized words _hide-and-seek_ because it was just as childish as his ruthless tickling, or because my brain really had finally short-circuited. His expression of shocked bewilderment was something I took as a great victory. With the way his fingers were moving to my hip, I knew I wouldn't be able to come up with anything better, so I brashly pressed on. "Not the kid version. Real hide-and-seek."

"Like a hunt?" His predatory grin only grew.

"Um. No. Yes. Yeah, sure. A hunt. A _huge_ hunt. Like… I can hide anywhere in the world."

"No," he said immediately. "I will not risk you endangering yourself."

His concern was genuine, but the way he said it made me feel just a bit catty and particularly stubborn. "Fine," I nodded, embracing a small bit of confidence that bubbled within. "We'll limit this to Japan. I can hide anywhere in Japan and you have to find me within three days."

"And when I find you, you will agree to marry me?" he asked deliberately. He was making sure I knew exactly how futile he thought this was. "We'll be engaged and you'll wear the ring for the rest of your life?"

Swallowing thickly, I shoved against the panic rising in my chest and nodded. "When you _don't_ find me, you'll stop asking until I'm ready." I'd have recognized that my end of the bet wasn't nearly as strong as his, but his eyes were making my insides dance. It was his easy smile that snapped me out of it enough to add on, "And you'll have to wear a cowboy hat and ride a mechanical bull for three full minutes. No matter how many attempts it takes. And I get to record all of it. And share it with whomever and however I want."

His lips shifted to my ear slowly. "You're the only one I will ever dominate." I sucked in a desperate gasp as he dragged my earlobe into his mouth and suckled gently.

Trying to swim to the surface of sanity, I latched onto him and returned his kisses as eagerly as he'd been laying them on my skin. My thoughts disappeared as he gave me wings three more times that night.

When he pulled me against his curled form in the middle of the night, my eyes cracked open and I plotted my escape.


	52. The Search

**A/N:** I apologize to anyone who was worried about the previous chapter being the final one. There are still two or three chapters after this one, so have no fear– I won't leave you with a cliffhanger!

* * *

 **The Search**

-*- 30 Hours Remaining -*-

*Kenshin's POV*

I sauntered past Misao as she _finally_ opened her door, carefully searching each possible hiding space. After a few moments, I peeked up from underneath her sink. "She's seriously not here?"

"Told ya, Red," Misao chided. "You think she'd trust me after she found out that Aoshi gave you her ring size? And after all the help I gave you to win the first bet? She's left me completely in the dark. I'm actually really pissed about it."

I retraced my steps to check a few places again, but ultimately turned to a stony-face Misao. "Where do you think she'd go?"

"Damn it, Red!" Misao shouted, looking very close to punching me. "You're supposed to know everything about her by now! Where the hell do you think she'd go?!"

I stammered. "Um. She wouldn't hide in the laser tag place for three days. I've already checked the dojo. Yahiko won't tell me anything. Megumi and Sano's lips are sealed, too. Everyone swears that she hasn't even contacted them!"

"And why in the seven hells would she trust them?!" Misao demanded. "Every damn one of us wants you two to finally tie the knot! Why would she trust people she thinks are her enemies? She wants to be with you, but this is a HUGE step that she thinks she's not ready for, and she's clearly not going down without a fight!"

"I've checked everywhere!" I complained, and was met with Misao's bright, challenging eyes.

"Clearly not!" Misao yelled. "She's more stubborn than you are! Why would she hide in the spots you'd obviously check, unless she really wanted to be found?! Now get back out there! You're down to thirty hours, and if you don't get that damn ring on her finger, I'll pummel you myself!"

I was unceremoniously shoved out of her apartment and left to my own devices again. Punching in a few numbers on my cell phone, I listened carefully to the voice on the other end. "Still nothing."

"You've got to be kidding me," I replied dryly, astounded that the team hadn't managed to uncover anything. "Nothing at all?"

"None, sir!"

I ended the call and shoved my phone back into my pocket.

She hadn't used her credit or debit card. She'd left her cell phone at the dojo, so there was no way to track her calls or her GPS. That part actually made me the angriest– how would she be able to contact anyone if she ran into trouble? And to top it off, her stop by the dojo made it painfully evident that she'd taken cash from her safe. _Cash._ How the hell was I supposed to trace her when she was using cash and no cell phone?!

Thinking critically, I considered all the places she'd mentioned since I'd met her and methodically ruled them all out. Why would she hide in any of the obvious places?! She'd sooner race to a remote island that she'd never even shown interest in!

As I ruled out Sanosuke's apartment and the frozen yogurt place for a third time, I drew out my cellphone with hands as heavy as lead. Slowly, I punched a familiar number into the screen and stared at it momentarily before squeezing my eyes shut and raising the phone to my ear.


	53. Idiot

**A/N:** Bwhahahaha... congrats to all the reviewers who guessed Hiko! I thought of this chapter MONTHS ago and couldn't resist writing it right away. It makes me laugh every time I read it, so hopefully you enjoy it as much I do. XD

* * *

 **Idiot**

-*- 30 Hours Remaining -*-

With a heaving sigh, Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth glared at his phone as it rang for the fourth time. " _Idiot,_ " he grumbled.

Giggling from across the table made him lift his eyes to meet gleaming sapphire. "I don't mind if you answer it," she grinned.

He rolled his eyes and reached for his sake cup, lifting it to his lips. "Why on earth would I want to do such a ridiculous thing?" He breathed a sigh of relief as the ringing stopped.

As she was about to reply, a shrill pitch screeched throughout the receiving room again. With god-like speed, he whipped his free hand to the phone, lifted it off the receiver, and barked into it. "Your stupidity is boundless!"

There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line. " _Umm…"_

"Idiot!" Hiko roared. "What is so important that you call me five times in a row and then _forget_ how to speak when I decide to grace your ears with my wondrous voice?"

" _Oh! Um. My apologies Master Hiko!_ " the voice spluttered. " _How did you know it was me?"_

The question was valid, as Hiko had stubbornly refused to upgrade his two-decade-old caller-ID-less house phone. It still worked perfectly fine, so why the hell would he throw it out and get a new one? _He_ wasn't the idiot. "If that's what you called for, I will find you right now and beat the hell out of you."

" _That's not it! Sorry, Master!"_

"Good. I knew it was you because only you would be stupid enough to call five times in a row without leaving a message. Out with it now—what do you want?"

" _I was just calling to ask if you've seen Kaoru, sir!"_ he panicked, as if a drill sergeant was breathing down his neck.

Hiko snorted loudly enough for it to clearly travel through the line. Deciding to let his previous apprentice suffer a little, the large man took his time and sipped at his sake again before replying. "What kind of stupid question is that? Do you mean to tell me you _lost_ your girlfriend?"

" _That's—uh… that's not—I mean to say that I—_ "

"Well then why the hell would she be here? Next time think a little more before calling me so many damn times. _Idiot._ "

" _No—WAIT—"_ but Hiko already slammed the phone back into its yellowing cradle.

Kaoru burst into a fit of laughter, though still somehow managed to pour him another ochoko full of sake without spilling a drop, despite her shaking shoulders. "You're the best, Uncle Hiko."

"Don't I know it," he boasted as he downed that cupful, too. "That idiot won't find a better woman, but hell if I'm going to play a part in helping him win anything like this asinine bet. If this prolongs his suffering, I'll mislead him for weeks."

"Good thing we have a three-day time limit," Kaoru smiled.

"Yeah, yeah…" Hiko agreed. "Now—where were we?"

With a grin that could swallow the sun, Kaoru met his gaze. "You were telling me about his fear of youkai jumping out of the swimming hole."

"Ah, yes," Hiko breathed, and his lips set into a devious smirk. "Smelly Youkai…"


	54. Cornered

**A/N:** There seems to be a bug with . I've been getting some review notifications via email, but none of them are populating on the site. Hopefully it's fixed soon so I can read your feedback!

For those who are confused about when this is going to end, I'm sorry for not clarifying well enough. This last bet is the last 'arc' in NBAR. I have another three chapters written after this one, and there will likely be another one or two after that, so expect this to end around chapter 58. Maybe 60, if I feel like writing an epilogue of sorts. Have no fears—I will reveal the victor of this bet before the end!

* * *

 **Cornered**

-*- 27 Hours Remaining -*-

 _*Kenshin's POV*_

I tapped my foot impatiently as the doors parted before me and sprinted out before they'd even fully opened. The air here normally revitalized me, but I was too panicked to allow the familiar scents and breezes to sway me. Running up the mountainside, I ducked into the undergrowth halfway between the bus stop and the path that lead to Master Hiko's house.

I knew she was here. Something in Hiko's harsh voice had made it too obvious that she was with him. He'd sounded just a touch too angry to be normal, and I instantly envisioned my Kaoru sitting with him while he shared more horrible stories about my awkward youth.

Hiko was right about one thing—I really was an idiot for not realizing it sooner. _Of course_ she would come here! She was a very independent woman who could hold her own in anything she set her mind to, but to endure three days without contacting anyone she knew would drag her spirits down. She loved talking to people and she loved sharing their company. Since she'd temporarily forsaken her friends, this option was clear as day!

Sensing two ki, I grinned as the old house came into view between the trees, and I kicked my feet even faster off the ground.

The ring in my pocket was going to be on her finger within minutes, and it was going to stay there. Permanently.

I found Master Hiko sitting at his table in the house. He didn't even look surprised as I barreled inside, which in hindsight, shouldn't have surprised me. Why _would_ I have surprised him? He pulled the ochoko to his lips, dragged in a hearty sip, and placed the tiny sake cup down before swinging his gaze over to me.

"What in the _hell_ has gotten into your head, boy? I go without hearing from you for months at a time, and today you call me five times and then show up unannounced?" He glanced at the wooden wall clock to his left and snorted. "What did you do? Jump on the bullet train immediately after I hung up?"

"Yes," I told him confidently. His dark glare was menacing enough to make me want to take a few steps back, but feeling a feminine ki hiding nearby kept my feet rooted. "You taught me that honesty was one of the greatest virtues, Master, yet here I've caught you in a lie."

He raised his brow and leaned forward. "Oh?"

"Where is she?"

"I told you that your girlfriend wasn't here, you buffoon."

I stalked closer, feeling a strange combination of apprehension and victory. Certainty and anger. Possessiveness and greed. "You have an extra cup out, _Master_. And there's a woman nearby—the bathhouse?"

Hiko's face fell from a confident smirk to dark seriousness. "You wouldn't dare interrupt a young woman's bath," he stated, as if daring me to do something so uncouth on his property.

Gloomily, I parked my rear on a cushion beside the one Kaoru had been using. Hiko produced another cup and was visibly surprised when I downed the sake without a blink of hesitation. His expression melted back into a look of triumph as he poured me another round.

"So," he said, sounding notably happier as his sipped his own drink. "You must not want her that badly," he taunted. "It shouldn't have taken you this long to figure out where she might go."

"I checked all of Tokyo!" I defended, clenching my fists atop my thighs. Did he realize that he'd just admitted that Kaoru was here? How else would he have known about the bet? As long as I remained focused on the ki moving about in the bathhouse, I'd have her. There was no way Hiko was going to stop me from catching my future wife. "She fell off the grid so I had to recruit half my contacts to help me search the camera network!"

"Why the hell would you think she'd stay in Tokyo?"

"When I checked her computer in the morning, she'd printed off train tickets and her browser was still open on a hotel in Osaka. The decoy was too obvious, so I knew that she was trying to send me halfway across the country while she snuck back home. She was planning on lounging around while I panicked on half a dozen trains and buses. She must have been staking out our apartment and realized I hadn't fallen for her trick. That's when she came here."

"Idiot," he snorted as he took another sip of sake. At my incredulous expression, he explained. "Didn't you consider that she's smarter than you? Why would she _not_ think you'd check her search history? If she she had half a brain, she would have known that you'd see her arrangements and catch up to her in no time. She knew you would see through the decoy. She knew you wouldn't fall for it. She has you so pegged that she's anticipated all of your movements."

The idea that Kaoru knew my thoughts so intimately made my chest swell and my fingers tighten. I needed her in my arms. **Now** _._ "Anticipated all except for this one," I breathed silkily. She'd emerged from the bathhouse and was coming back this way. She'd have all of ten more seconds of freedom before I made her mine forever.

I was so intently focused on the approaching ki that I didn't notice Hiko's smirk. She was right around the corner when I sprung up in rage. "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" I heard myself shout as I realized too late that while the ki _was_ feminine, it _wasn't_ Kaoru.

A tall woman sauntered into the room, smiling widely. Her gaze turned to Hiko's bright face. "Hiko, darling," she cooed sensually as if she hadn't even seen me, "I believe we've had enough time to cool down." Ignoring me completely, she strode over to my former teacher and sat in his lap.

I turned my head before I could see anything else, and I felt my cheeks burning almost painfully. I stumbled gracelessly toward the door, appalled by the implication of what they had done and what they were about to do again. Shoving my feet haphazardly into my shoes, I instinctively grabbed a scrap of paper that was lying in the corner by the door and sprinted back down the mountainside without another word.

I didn't stop until my feet hit the sidewalk at the edge of the forest. Grimacing one last time in disgust, I violently shook my head and cleared all things Hiko-related from my betrayed mind. The devious bastard had planned the whole thing! I'd have bet my life that Kaoru had been there when I'd called! They'd both have anticipated me rushing over, so Kaoru must have escaped immediately, and as my punishment for letting Kaoru get so far away from me, Hiko called one of his lady friends over!

Quaking in disgust and anger, I slowly loosened my fingers and unfolded the familiar stationery. I had no doubts that this was Kaoru's blue paper from her desk, and her handwriting was unmistakable. It was only a scrap—it must have torn on something as she escaped.

 _-aka Prefecture_

 _-isha Honden_

 _-788_

This was _her_ hand-written scrawl. It had been torn, but it was enough to guess her destination. The Kasuga Taisha Honden in the Osaka prefecture. A palace that was over a thousand years old. She'd even mentioned it once—her father had taken her there when she was a child.

That was an hour or two away, depending on traffic. If she had left immediately after I called, she'd only have a couple of hours before the shrine closed. Would she go directly, spend the night in Osaka, and return to the shrine in the morning? Or would she realize where her note had been torn? Would she realize that I'd figure out her destination?

Grimacing in deep thought, I automatically stepped on the bus that would take me back to the heart of Kyoto.

Hiko wouldn't have approved of her travelling alone to a place she'd only been to once—and especially not so close to sunset. He'd have recommended she spend the night locally and head out in the morning. Whether or not that shrine would still be her destination was a complete toss-up, but I felt suddenly confident.

Hiko would have talked her into staying in Kyoto until the morning. Bet or not, he'd value her safety over having a hand in my defeat. Hiko had connections with several places in the city, but the most likely place he'd send her was the Shirobeko.

With a target gleaming in my mind, my eyes narrowed on the city I was approaching. I wasn't going to be misled again.

Kaoru was as good as mine.


	55. Oversight

**A/N:** Thanks so much for all your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying this as much as I am. :)

Just a note—I was looking at how many people read the last chapter and the one before that, and it looks like a lot of you missed chapter 53 (Idiot). Something was wonky with this site around the time I posted that, which I know because a lot of reviews you guys wrote came through my email but haven't been added to this story. I suspect something may have gone wrong with their story alerts, too, so sorry if you missed that chapter. This will make a bit more sense if you go back and read that one.

Also, I intentionally kept Kenshin's history vague. What he did in the past never mattered to Kaoru in the manga/anime, and since it really doesn't matter to this story either, there was no sense in getting into it. However, he's pulling in a LOT of favors right now, so if that seems off to you, just think of them as techy friends from university and who he's met in the time since graduation. Hitokiri or not, Kenshin always has a few aces up his sleeve. :)

* * *

 **Oversight**

-*- 27 Hours Remaining -*-

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

"Thank you for the warning, Uncle Hiko," I breathed as I ended the call on the cell phone I'd borrowed from Yahiko's friend.

Kenshin was in Kyoto. _Here_ in Kyoto. I was beyond thrilled that he'd fallen for Hiko's decoy, but that victory was quickly washed away with a bubbling sense of nausea. I was certain he'd have picked up the paper I'd deliberately torn and left by the front door, but I had no idea if he would fall for that, too. He'd either think that I couldn't possibly have laid more false trails for him and therefore take the bait, or he'd smarten up and do the exact opposite.

I moved to the edge of my hotel room and peered out the window, watching the streets below. Twenty-seven hours and twelve minutes left. I could do this.

The knock at my door had me nearly jumping out of my skin. I'd leapt to my feet and taken on a defensive stance against the far wall before I'd even registered my reaction. The second knock peeled me back to life, and I cautiously stepped over to the door.

There was no way it was him. It _couldn't_ be Kenshin. Not enough time had passed between these knocks and when he'd left Hiko's.

Peering into the peephole, I sagged against the door in relief before opening it. The delivery boy gave me a speculative look as I quickly checked both sides of the hallway. "Come in," I finally said, ignoring his concern as he wheeled the dining trolley into my room. "Over on that table is fine," I told him.

He dropped off the salad, burger, miso soup, and rice dish I'd ordered. He swung his gaze around the room to see who else was with me, and when he saw that I was alone, he frowned in deeper concern.

Shoving a tip into his hand, I urged him out before he could comment on my skittish behavior or the ridiculous amount of food he'd dropped off.

Securing all the locks on the door, I grabbed the burger and moved back to the seat facing the window. With my legs curled under me, I watched the busy street four stories below and bobbed along slightly to the music I had playing in the background.

I was halfway through the fries when my eyes caught a flash of scarlet. There, on the opposite side of the street, was a man of mid-height and slight build. With broad shoulders and a determined gait, Kenshin walked directly into the Shirobeko.

My fry fell from my numb fingertips as Kenshin vanished inside the place Hiko had anticipated him visiting first.

When I'd fled the gigantic man's home, he had shoved a wad of cash into my hand, urging me to find a random hotel on the other side of the city, but I'd decided while on the bus to heed the advice of an awkward, adorable, and strangely-wise hobbit. ' _The closer you are to danger, the farther you are from harm._ '

From my vantage point across the street from the Shirobeko, I watched the entrance in fascinated horror. Twenty minutes later, the hunter emerged, looking severely annoyed but just as obstinate as ever. He stepped out onto the busy sidewalk and strolled to the edge of the street. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he swung his narrowed gaze around. Amber abruptly swept upward in my direction, but I dove at the ground before he could catch a glimpse of me.

My chest thundered painfully with the heavy adrenaline of trapped prey. Not daring to move in front of the window again, I tried to steady my breathing as I crawled to the other side of the bed and leaned back against the mattress.

I knew he hadn't seen me, but it took a long time for my breathing to finally even out. There was no way he'd go knocking on every hotel room door in Kyoto, so I knew I'd be safe for the night.

... I prayed I would be safe for the night.

* * *

-*- 13 Hours Remaining -*-

Restlessness woke me early the following morning. I tried to force myself back to sleep, but not even the notion that I could hide here for another several hours until check-out time was comforting. If anything, I felt like it would give Kenshin an advantage. If he already suspected that I was hiding in a Kyoto hotel, he'd anticipate me sleeping in and leaving as late as possible.

I refused to do anything predictable, so in a sudden spurt of inspiration, I grabbed the cellphone I'd borrowed from one of Yahiko's friends. Yahiko almost immediately acknowledged my secret codeword with one of his own, indicating that he would follow through with my pre-arranged plan. He'd call Sano and 'innocently' ask if Kenshin was in Tokyo. Sano would think the question was a red flag and would immediately tell Kenshin that I was likely going to sneak back home. He'd go rushing back to Tokyo, which would allow me the freedom to leave the hotel without a single worry of being spotted.

Grinning at the plan, I danced over to the bathroom and jumped into a refreshingly hot shower. The heat eased my tense muscles and I hummed a fun tune as I thought of where I would go next. It was beyond tempting to just pay for an additional night here to remain hidden, but I knew that staying in one place for too long was also a big risk. If he had his techy buddies hack into the camera systems, they'd realize that I hadn't left the hotel. That would narrow down their search parameters and I'd effectively trap myself.

It was as I was pulling on my jeans that realization struck me. I froze in horror and swung my gaze over to the borrowed cellphone. Sano would have let Kenshin know about the suspicious call, but why _the hell would he have just stopped there?!_

Soaring around the room, I grabbed my things and haphazardly shoved them into my backpack. I yanked on a black t-shirt and flew out the door. I rushed to the stairwell, remembering that there was an exit nearby that would dump me onto a less-crowded side street.

How could I have been so STUPID?! If they thought Yahiko had been in contact with me, they'd rush over and grill him! They'd get into his phone and piece everything together without batting an eyelash!

My heart thundered as I barreled onto the pavement, ripped the cellphone out of my pocket, and yanked the battery out.

IDIOT! They'd trace the damn cellphone!

As I raced down the street, a flash of red caught my eye in the crowd ahead. It disappeared and then reappeared much closer and much faster than the crowd was moving.

It was Kenshin… and he was headed directly to the front doors of the hotel I'd just fled.

Slapping a hand across my lips to stifle an instinctive shout of terror, I dove behind a street lamp pillar and tried to catch my breath as my eyes raked my surroundings—THERE!

Without giving myself time to hesitate, I ran as fast as I could to a cab that was parked halfway down the street and jumped into the back seat. My sudden appearance startled the young man in the driver's seat, but he smiled at me hesitantly. "Need a ride?"

"Please. Quickly. Just head south for a minute while I get my bearings."

The driver looked concerned, but hit the accelerator. I slid down along the seat and nearly broke into tears when the light at that intersection turned red. The car slowed to a stop. It was only once the light turned green that I felt confident enough to peek in the direction Kenshin had been headed, and I breathed in relief when I confirmed that he was nowhere in sight.

"The nearest mall, please." I could hide in the crowds there long enough to think of a viable escape route.

"Sure thing," the driver said. There was a pause before he commented on the obvious. "Listen—are you alright? You look like you're running from someone. Want me to head to the police station instead?"

"No!" I said too quickly, then grimaced as he met my eyes in the mirror. "I'm fine. Really. I just… that hotel I stayed in is haunted. I heard weird noises all night. Like pounding and footsteps roaming all around my room. I think I even saw something move in the shadows. Just want to get away from there."

"Really?" he asked incredulously, naming the hotel he'd been parked closest to. I nodded in affirmation, watching his eyes stray back to mine for a blink. "I've lived here my whole life. Never heard of any spirits there."

As he stopped at another light, I peered outside, very likely looking half-crazed, but I didn't care. Red turned to green out of the corner of my eye, but it took the driver a few seconds to put away his cellphone and hit the accelerator. In itself, I would have thought nothing of it, but when his gaze immediately met mine in the mirror again, I felt cold dread sinking in.

There hadn't been any other taxis parked on that street. He'd been close enough to the door to be a perfect getaway, but not close enough to appear suspicious.

Holy Kami.

Words tumbled from my lips as I schooled my expression and looked around. "What's the most popular tourist destination here?"

The driver shrugged, naming off a few places that I pretended to be interested in as my hand slipped into my pocket. "How far is the mall?" I asked as the traffic around us built up.

He thought for a moment as he tapped the break again, but I flung the door open in his distraction, threw a wad of cash that was close enough to what I owed him, and slammed the door shut. His shouts faded as I flew to the sidewalk and darted in the opposite direction.

Not believing my luck, I saw a sign less than a block away. The subway.

In a series of half-automatic motions, I made it inside a subway car just as the doors were closing. Without any inkling of which line I was on or in which direction I was headed, I sunk onto a nearby seat seconds before my knees gave out on me.

I could still do this. I just had to evade Kenshin for another twelve hours. I'd change course a few times in the next couple of hours—he couldn't possibly anticipate which stations I'd switch off at, and that gave me a distinct advantage.

So help me, I was going to win this damn bet.


	56. Subway

**A/N:** Hot damn! THANK YOU for all of your amazing feedback! :D The last chapter was the most-reviewed of this fic so far! I love how into it you guys are getting! I'm all for the gushy fluffiness, but writing suspense is what I do best, so these chaps are super fun to write. **Evil cackle**

For those of you who are worried about Kenshin cheating / Kaoru being at a disadvantage, I get it. Yes, it does seem like he's pulling all the strings, but keep in mind that Kaoru was the one who proposed the bet in the first place. And as flustered as she was, she did still agree to it... and she's allowed to go anywhere in Japan. Our darling Red has plenty of justification to use whatever means necessary, just like Kaoru can use whatever means she deems necessary. ^.^ Have no fears, my darlings!

* * *

 **Subway**

*-* 13 Hours Remaining -*-

 _*Kenshin's POV*_

Tapping my foot anxiously and rolling the glimmering ring between my fingers, I sipped at my coffee as calmly as I could. I'd spent half the night prowling the streets, trying to just catch a hint of her ki, but I was ultimately left disappointed. The few hours of sleep I'd gotten had been awful, and by six am, I was ready to get back to the hunt.

How had they not been able to locate her yet? She had to have shown up on at least a few of the cameras around the city. From there it was just a matter of facial recognition and someone from the team verifying that it was her.

I jumped at my phone as it rung, though I was surprised that it was Sano on the other end. "Her kid brother was in on it. We've almost finished tracing the phone she borrowed from his buddy." A muffled shout in the background interrupted him. "Shut it, brat! He's not gonna force himself on her! It don't matter if they never get married—he just wants her to himself. You even admitted that it was a great idea!" Sano heaved out a sigh before speaking more directly into the phone. "Ok—looks like she's still in Kyoto. In a hotel—" he laughed. "Oh, man. THAT was a ballsy move on her part! She's in the hotel right across from the Shir—"

Sano was cut off by an abrupt crash. Two different shouts sprang into my ear. There was a bit of scuffling, loud cursing, and then the line went dead.

Feeling admiration and irritation swell my chest, I sprang up and was on my way within a moment. Making a few calls as I sank into the morning rush, I felt a grin curl my lips. There was no way she'd escape me this time.

I'd just managed to slip past her hotel's lobby when I felt my pocket vibrate. It was a text from one of the Oniwabanshū. _'Target acq. North. Req. mall.'_

Biting my lip and looking skyward in exasperation, I turned back and raced to the subway. It would be much quicker than trying to navigate the early morning city traffic on the streets. The mall was a reasonable destination. Lots of people. Big crowds... but not this early in the morning. Stores wouldn't even open for another hour or two.

I'd only made it one stop before my phone went off again. "SHE ESCAPED!" a voice shouted before I'd managed to even acknowledge that I'd picked up. "Great intuition, that girl! Jumped out and fled to the south! You might be able to run into her underground." I ended the call as I jumped out of the subway before the doors trapped me inside.

 _Great intuition?_ That was an understatement. She was glorious. Genius. I was going to teach her to never jump out of a moving vehicle again, and then smother her until she understood just how damn impressed I was with her. I hadn't thought it possible to be more attracted to her, but she'd knocked me breathless yet again.

 _I couldn't wait to return the favor…_

Racing over to the area that she would come out of if she'd decided to jump off at this stop, I scanned everyone's face like a hawk. Without ripping my eyes away—I'm not sure if I even blinked—I hit a few buttons on my phone and relayed the turn of events to the team, urging them to keep their eyes peeled on all the cameras in the area.

I waited a few minutes before coming to the realization that she _wouldn't_ have gotten off at this stop. She'd been fleeing her hotel, which meant that she knew I was nearby. Why would she have gotten off anywhere near the hotel?

Cursing, I ran to the southbound line and jumped in the next subway that came. She'd most likely switch lines and go in a different direction, but she would only do so after she'd passed the hotel—therefore eliminating the odds of running into me.

The next text floored me again. _'Headed to Osaka.'_

How the hell was she already headed west?!

I leapt off the subway the moment the doors opened, and was halfway to the west-bound line when another buzz in my pocket stopped me. _'Go up to the street. Black sedan across the street with tinted windows. You'll never catch her if you stick with public transport.'_

Grinning, I shot off in that direction. Send me on as many false trails as you'd like, little dragonfly. You'll never outrun me.


	57. Decoy

**A/N:** We're getting close now, my dearies! XD

* * *

 **Decoy**

-*- 12 Hours Remaining -*-

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

Tumbling into the foreign station, I danced cross-legged until my eyes caught the gloriously familiar sign of a restroom. Employing some sweet moves to cover my ridiculously strong need to pee, I lunged into the ladies' room and into a stall. Holy Kami… even _without_ my daily coffee, my bladder still sought to betray me!

I exited the stall and washed my hands, then froze as I turned to dry my hands, unable to believe the sight before me.

The two college girls were powdering their noses in the mirror and giggling about some new attraction in the city. They had long hair and had remarkably similar body types. Similar enough to each other... and similar enough to _me._

I had moved over to them before I could stop myself, not realizing until a few hours later just how creepy I must have been. "Ohmygod," I breathed at them. "You two are perfect."

They tensed for half a second before melting into huge, narcissistic grins. "It's all in the skin care routine," one of them gushed helpfully, clearly beyond thrilled at being called 'perfect'.

"And the right clothes."

"And attitude."

Swallowing my awkwardness, I smiled with them. "This is going to sound REALLY weird, but please hear me out," I said almost calmly, but then spluttered the rest out like a tidal wave. "My boyfriend has been proposing to me for the past week or whatever but we've only been together for a few months and I _really_ am stupidly in love with him, but it's WAY too soon to commit to freaking _marriage,_ so in a panic I made a bet with him and now I'm down to like almost twelve hours, and if he manages to track me down by then, he'll win and I'll be as good as engaged to him, but you two have my same body type and the three of us could totally trick him, so please, _please_ , **_please_** say you'll help me!"

They'd both gone starry-eyed during my verbal explosion and squealed in excitement when my words died off. "But that's _so romantic!_ How could you run from someone that devoted to you?"

"It's like a fairy tale! People would literally pay billions of yen to be in your shoes!"

Flustered, I met their gazes. "We'll get married eventually," I blurted, then immediately flushed. "UM! I mean I'm just not ready right this second and like I said, it's only been a few months, and—" It was a good thing that they both cried out again, because I felt my face getting _really_ hot and I was beyond embarrassed. "Please—if the three of us leave within a few minutes of each other, it'll totally throw him off. Please help me," I pleaded, wide-eyed.

The two girls nodded, grinning widely.

Within five minutes, I had changed my black t-shirt to a bright pink tank top—something I'd purchased recently and had yet to wear around Kenshin. They had taken my hair from its normal high ponytail, braided it down my left shoulder like the perkier one—Mieko—wore hers. She in turn pulled her hair up in a tail like mine had been, as Tama placed her wide-brimmed straw hat atop my head. Denying my protests as she also adjusted her hair, Mieko ducked into the nearest stall and emerged a moment later wearing a dark shirt similar to the one I had been wearing. "Just got it," she explained as my jaw dropped. "This is the perfect excuse to wear it now. And it makes my boobs look _great!_ "

Holding the hat firmly on my head, I bowed to them as low as possible and then unceremoniously hugged each of them. "You're both amazing. I wish you the best things in life."

They shouted after me when they realized I'd shoved some money into their hands to pay for the hat, but I was already racing out of the restroom. Just before returning to the busy subway station tunnel, I slowed my pace, took a deep breath, and sauntered out in a distinctly Misao-like way.

It was only with monumental help that Kenshin could have gotten so close to catching me, so I had to assume that some of his IT buddies from university had been recruited to hack the cameras. I no longer matched the description of the girl they'd be looking for, so as long as I remained out of my normal character, I'd lose them easily.

Grinning, I skipped to the stairs that led to the street, careful to keep my face hidden underneath the straw hat. This time, I walked several blocks away from the station and flagged down a taxi that had nearly rushed past me.

The driver pulled over at the last second and I hopped in gratefully. If Kenshin really had a team behind him, his last accurate clue was that I was headed west to Osaka. "East, please," I told the driver, who wasted no time before merging back onto the road. "As far as you're willing to go, but I have a pretty nice tip if you're willing to drive me all the way to Nagoya."

His eyes raced to mine for the first time in the rearview mirror. "That's nearly three hours from here!"

I grinned at him. "That's right. Far to the east. I have enough cash on me to get me half way," I lied, deciding to play it safe just in case he had less than moral motives. He didn't look sketchy, but it wouldn't exactly be a cheap ride, and who knew if that kind of money would tempt a person to steal from a frail, bubbly-looking woman who seemed more likely to call daddy for help before putting up a fight. "But if you're willing to drop me off at my friend's place in Nagoya, she'll cover the rest of the fare and a nice tip."

"Nagoya it is, miss!"

I grinned as I sunk into the seat and got comfortable. I didn't know anyone in Nagoya, but I had plenty of time to decide where to have him drop me off. And even if Kenshin's team picked up on me there, I'd have such a huge head-start on them that they wouldn't be able to catch up to me in time.

"Hey, do you mind if we play some music?" I asked the driver after a while.

"Whaddaya have in mind?"

My wide smile scrunched my cheeks. "Anything that sounds like victory."


	58. The Victor

**A/N:** Well, my lovely readers—this is it! This is the grand finale of both the bet and this fic. Thank you so much for all of you who have stuck with me for the past two years, and special thanks to those who took the time to review! Your interest in this and hilarious feedback kept me motivated, and ultimately turned what I'd planned to only be a little drabble fic into a 58-chapter bundle of fluff! Best wishes and many hugs to all of you!

* * *

~*~ 11 Hours Remaining ~*~

 _*Kenshin's POV*_

I drummed my fingers along my thigh anxiously as my eyes swung back and forth along the subway station. There was still no sign of Kaoru, which was making me more and more nervous by the second. She should have been here by now. Had she stayed on the subway after all? Was she headed farther than Osaka?

Feeling a vibration in my pocket, I whipped my phone out without looking away from the moving mass of travelers. "Have you found her?" I asked.

"Get back in the car," a masculine voice told me quickly. I was surprised that Aoshi was the one on the other end. Until that moment, it had either been Sano, Reiji, or Natsuo who had contacted me.

I hesitated. "What's wrong?"

"The girl they were tracking wasn't Kaoru." My breath died in my chest and I felt myself wobble. "They tracked a girl out of the restrooms wearing similar clothing to what Kaoru was wearing on her way in, but her gait seemed off to me when I got here."

My feet and legs were moving before my dumbfounded brain caught up. "What do you mean?" I felt my lungs plummeting to the ground as I all but ran back to my borrowed car.

"I went back to the footage outside the restroom she went into. A woman with her hair pulled back and wearing a dark shirt just like Kaoru's walked out, and that's who they followed. But she just met up with another woman who also had a pony tail like hers, and they looked overjoyed—"

"She enlisted _decoys_?!" I breathed into the phone in a panic, cutting him off.

There was no hesitation. "Yes. I verified that those two women went into the restroom together and left separately. It seems Kaoru met them in there and borrowed one of the women's hats. Kaoru left before they did and headed in the opposite direction."

My steps nearly faltered as my blood ran cold. I'd been anxious for the past two days, but I'd never doubted that I'd find her. To hear that she'd misled me _again_ a mere eleven hours away from the deadline nearly made my knees give out underneath me. "What direction?"

Aoshi's voice held a note of finality, as if I had already lost. "She's in a cab halfway to Nagoya. If you leave right now, you'd be about an hour and a half behind her."

I murmured a few words of appreciation before ending the call sliding the phone back into my pocket and retrieving my keys. I somehow made it into the car before releasing a string of expletives that would have made Sano gape at me. Hands trembling, I thrust the key into the ignition and sped back the way I'd come.

* * *

~*~ 8 Hours Remaining *~*

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

Nagoya Castle was truly breathtaking. A beautiful remnant of the Tokugawa era, the stone behemoth had stood tall from the early 17th century through the second World War. It had been restored as much as possible since then, but even if the structure wasn't completely original, I couldn't stop myself from gaping at it. The tour inside the castle was inspiring, but my wandering around the gardens left me just as invigorated. There was a deeper level of beauty here than I'd ever seen, and I was left awestruck by the raw emotion it evoked within me. This place had been bustling for so long that I could have lived something like eight full-length lives between this place's creation and now.

Better yet, although I'd noticed several cameras on the castle grounds, I was relatively confident that they were closed circuit. That meant that the likelihood of anyone finding me was remote. I could have danced in the streets naked and Kenshin still wouldn't have been able to reach me in time.

After touring the grounds on my own for a couple of hours, I skipped back down the steps to the street and walked several blocks before hailing the least conspicuous taxi I could find.

It was around four in the afternoon and several cab and direction switches before I and stepped out onto the streets of Hakone. A small town in the Kanagawa Prefecture, Hakone was along the outskirts of Mount Fuji, and home to a beautiful hot spring that I'd heard a lot of wonderful things about. I figured that this would be the perfect place for my last stop. I'd enjoy the cool evening air as I soaked in a hot spring that overlooked the great Mount Fuji. What could have been a better finale to my grand adventure?

Making my way into the hotel, I made accommodations with the receptionist and strutted back out onto the camera-free streets with the confidence of a samurai. Everything had turned out far better than I'd expected, and I was beyond delighted by what I'd learned inside.

With a couple more hours before sunset, I wanted to make the most out of my time without risking my location just yet. A grin large enough to make my cheeks ache stretched across my face as I strolled into the nearby forest in search of the trail that had been recommended to me.

* * *

~*~ 4 Hours Remaining ~*~

 _*Kenshin's POV*_

"What do you mean, you lost her?!" I panicked into the receiver. "You said you had eyes on her!"

The voice on the other end of the line was just as nervous as I was. "She jumped into a taxi, but we lost it in the traffic. We're working on tracking the cab number now, but it looks like she was actually headed back toward Tokyo."

"Please update me as soon as you can confirm," I told Natsuo, then hung up. Running my hands down my face, I tried to stop myself from hyperventilating. I knew that in reality this was just a game. A bet to capture Kaoru for good. But that didn't mean it was my _only_ chance to get my ring on her finger.

If she won the bet, I'd still do everything within my power to make her feel comfortable enough to eventually accept my proposal. I knew that she wouldn't leave me if this bet went south, but I'd been so _excited_ to finally call her my fiancé that I simply hadn't seen any other outcome. And though I knew that she loved me just as much as I loved her and that we'd get married eventually, I hated the idea of her walking around another day without the equivalent of a flashing warning sign that signified she was officially off limits to others.

I hated being so desperate for that level of reassurance, but there it was, deep within my soul, and I ached to just have her to myself. To drive everyone else away until she would allow me to seal myself to her fully.

It was another hour and a half before my phone went off again. "Take Route 1," Sano instructed me. "She just used your credit card."

My chest pattered to a stop. She wouldn't have done something so foolish without great reason. "Where?" I breathed into the phone.

"Either it's a _damn_ good trap, Kenshin, or you have no hope." Sano replied. "She checked into an onsen in Hakone. There aren't any open circuit cameras by the hotel, but she wouldn't have charged _that_ much to your card unless she was either really there or she REALLY wanted to be damn devious."

"She checked into a hot spring in a time like this?" I repeated. "With MY credit card?"

"Looks like it, man," Sano confirmed.

"Kami," I breathed, far beyond impressed with both her audacity or her cunning. "Devious doesn't begin to describe her."

* * *

~*~ 1 Hour Remaining *~*

 _*Kaoru's POV*_

I distantly heard myself groaning appreciatively. My eyes were closed, I was leaning forward on the edge of a giant rock, and a glass stem was clutched loosely in my hand. This must have been the closest to the afterlife as I could have gotten. Call it Heaven or Valhalla or Paradise or whatever… Nothing else could have been so amazingly warm and tender against my sore muscles.

After my nature hike, I'd returned to the hotel and had the receptionist charge Kenshin's card for the room. I'd been escorted into a breathtaking suite with a massive bed, huge bathroom, and otherwise open layout that was centered around a hot spring large enough to fit ten adults if they wanted to get particularly cozy.

I'd immediately ordered a bottle of wine and champagne, which I'd opened victoriously upon its arrival. "For victory!" I shrieked into the open-air room, giggling madly. Pouring myself a glass amidst my private reveling, I downed it and poured myself another, as well as a second glass which I left near the door. I'd only had a couple of glasses before I felt myself melting against the rocks of my room's private hot spring bath, grinning stupidly.

I'd been soaking for nearly two hours until all of my muscles were effectively mush. The tension that had gathered along my shoulder blades throughout the past few days had been eased away into the deliciously warm pool. The deeper aches that the water had not yet reached were soothed by the high quality champagne I'd filled my belly with, and I snacked lazily on the various dishes that were laid out before me.

Yes, I'd accepted Kenshin's bet and I'd run from him. I loved him more than anything else, but I still refused to rush into an engagement with him, even if it would be another several years before an actual ceremony. I wanted Kenshin in every aspect of my life, but I refused to hurry into anything. If he truly wanted me, he would wait as long as it took, and damn right I would put him to the test. Not because I didn't trust him, but because I wanted full assurance that he wouldn't promise me the world before disappearing. I'd dealt with that kind of pain once before and I'd sworn to myself that I would never put myself through that again. I trusted Kenshin's patience, so I knew that when the time was right, his fight would be over.

* * *

 _*Kenshin's POV*_

By the time I'd scanned the room card to access Kaoru's room, it was twenty minutes after the deadline.

My heart had sunk with the sun, but I refused to give up on her. I'd been the reason she'd traversed half the country, so I owed her a glorious prize, if nothing else. I pushed the wooden barrier backward and sauntered confidently into the room. I stepped inward and the door closed and locked automatically behind me as I stopped in my tracks. There, beyond the center of the room, was a medium-sized tub that smelled of spring water.

Kaoru had been resting in the water, but upon hearing me enter, she turned to face me. With a wolfish grin, she pulled her champagne flute to her lips and threw it back, gulping the golden nectar down before placing the glass aside. Then she stood up and grinned at me.

She was naked at least from the waist up. There was no telling if she wore anything around her waist, but that detail faded from existence as water droplets dropped off of her neck and slid down her bare breasts.

Instinctively, I downed the champagne flute that was beside the door, and quickly ripped off my shirt and pants.

Kaoru was grinning mischievously at me as I crossed the distance between us. I leapt into the water and claimed her sweet lips for myself. My hands moved up and down her naked back, urging her against the far wall as I sat atop her lap. My hands slowly rose to cup her cheeks and I kissed her severely for another few moments before allowing us to part for breath.

"You're brilliant, koishii," I panted in her ear, dragging her earlobe between my lips. "I've always known you were clever, but you've knocked me on my backside more times in the past three days than I'm comfortable admitting."

She panted heavily before replying. "I love you, Kenshin."

Feeling myself warm more quickly than could be attributed to the water, I grinned against her neck. "I love you too, Kaoru." I moved my lips to her shoulder, where I knew she was particularly tender, and pressed kisses there that made her melt into my embrace. "You've won, so I won't ask again until you tell me you're ready. But be ready, Koishii," I murmured. "The instant you give me permission, I will whisk you away and marry you on the spot."

"Deal," she breathed. "Anything. I could never be with anyone else."

My lips curled around her heated skin. "Good," I told her. "Because you're all mine."


End file.
